Work completes on transformational expansion at Odiham secondary school's new £6 million teaching block

Morgan Sindall Construction has completed work on a £6 million expansion to Robert May’s School in Odiham, Hampshire.

The major expansion programme was delivered via the SCF (Southern Construction Framework) and was completed on time and on budget for Hampshire County Council and was designed by the County Council’s Property Services team.

The new block has increased the secondary school’s capacity by 150 places to 1,350 pupils and includes six new teaching rooms, a new library, reception area and additional office space.

Morgan Sindall Construction completely remodelled the front entrance to the school, creating additional parking spaces and a new coach loop. The library was refurbished into a ‘super lab’ for scientific, technical, digital, engineering and practical learning, with the expansion of a dining area. A new lift and link bridge have been built to connect the new teaching block to the existing school building.

A Gebrik façade was selected for the exterior of the new building, which has a steel and prefabricated concrete construction. An exposed concrete soffit design has been used on the interior of the building to avoid over-heating, along with solar tinted glass.

Morgan Sindall Construction was appointed to the scheme via SCF, a quality-managed construction framework for public bodies in the region to procure major building works that has developed unique integrated team approach. The framework governs the procurement of a full spectrum of new build and refurbishment schemes in education, health and community. These includes libraries, civic office developments, programmes for police and fire authorities, and leisure and sports facilities. Morgan Sindall Construction has delivered a total of 37 projects via the SCF.

Cliff Kinch, area director of Morgan Sindall Construction’s Fareham office, said: “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed working in partnership with Hampshire County Council to deliver this expansion to Robert May’s School. The new teaching block is a stunning addition to the school’s existing teaching facilities, providing pupils with a first-class environment to learn and get the most out of their educational journey.
“Robert May’s expansion was delivered under the SCF and we’re pleased to have worked effectively with SCF through this project’s life cycle, ensuring that every stage of the build aligned with both the council’s and school’s vision. The new building was completed ahead of schedule, allowing the school to use their new facility at the start of the autumn term, when an October half term handover was contracted. We hope that everyone at the school is delighted with the new building, which will serve generations of pupils in Odiham for many years to come.”

Head teacher of Robert May's School, Mrs Joanna Collyer West said: “We've been delighted by the thoughtful approach of the Morgan Sindall Construction site manager, Jim Cain, and the way in which his team made sure that construction fitted around school schedules so well. The groundworks, which were extensive, were done to a very high specification in what seemed like record time. A local passer-by told us that the school now looks like a University. We're very happy with that!”

• For more information about this news release please contact Steph Bocking at Influential on 0151 239 5000 or email bocking@thisisinfluential.com