Morgan Sindall Construction has commenced work on a school expansion project in Suffolk that will deliver special educational needs and disability provision (SEND), along with 150 new student places.

The expansion at the Chantry Academy in Ipswich has been instructed by Suffolk County Council, with Concertus Design & Property Consultants operating as the council’s consultants for the procurement, development and design of the project. The work is part of a county-wide bid to address increasing demand for school places, coming as a result of new housing developments.

The project is scheduled to be complete in September 2022, at which point it will provide the school with 13 brand new classrooms and additional facilities in a reconfiguration of the existing school building.

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The project will comprise of three phases with a combined value of more than £3 million. Phase one will involve the development of a new, stand-alone SEND block, incorporating two classrooms, and is scheduled to complete in spring 2022. The second phase, which is due to be finished in autumn 2022, will see the construction of a two storey, 11-classroom extension, together with a new library circulation space and toilets. In phase three the existing school will be remodelled to provide alternative teaching spaces, music practice rooms and extended dining facilities.

Hard and soft landscaping is also being delivered by the Morgan Sindall Construction team, alongside a car park extension to provide additional staff parking. The new developments are being designed to blend in with the existing school.

Morgan Sindall Construction will be calling upon years of experience in the delivery of SEND facilities for the Chantry Academy project. The firm has invested heavily in consulting, developing and refining the design of SEND schools to give the best possible educational experience. In 2020, it released a landmark ‘Building Better Futures’ report, which used cross-sector knowledge to look at enhancing SEND school design and delivery and improving the student, teacher, carer and family experience.