Construction firm Morgan Sindall has completed work on a new school in the East Midlands which pledges to deliver school places for residents of the Snelsmoor Grange housing developments, The Meadows and Holbrook Grange, and a recent development of around 200 properties on Fellow Lands Way, Chellaston.

Procured via the SCAPE Regional Construction Framework, Morgan Sindall Construction started work on the Oak Grange Primary School project in August 2022, and has completed the works within a 53-week timeframe. Following new housing developments in the area, the school will satisfy the increased demand for primary school places in the area.

A total of 25 students across Nursery and Reception joined the site for their first classes with East Midlands Education Trust, a partnership of 22 high-performing schools in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. The school will increase in size gradually each academic year by another year group until it reaches its capacity of 315 pupils, aged from 3 to 11 years, in September 2029.

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Lungfish Architects designed the school to be in keeping with its agricultural surroundings and collaborated closely with Morgan Sindall to deliver a high-end educational environment.

The desired aesthetics and functionality were achieved with the inclusion of three distinctive 'gabled barn' elevations, connected by glazed links, that provide natural daylight to the corridors and core of the school. The rural vernacular is also reflected by utilising metal cladding, timber and render external cladding, with deep window reveals and feature windows.

Extensive ecological surveys were carried out to ensure minimal disturbance to the natural habitats surrounding the site, including surveys of any nesting birds in the area, of badger sets close to the site, and of hedgerows which are home to birds and small mammals.

Oak Grange, part of the Derby Schools Programme, is the fifth school Morgan Sindall has delivered in partnership with Lungfish Architects as the principal designer.

As part of Morgan Sindall's commitment to reducing their carbon impact through their work, the team mobilised its 10 Tonne Carbon Challenge at Oak Grange Primary School. As a result, they saved 69.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide through alternative construction methods; the equivalent of heating 26 homes annually.

Within the local area, the contractor achieved a spend of 39% within 20 miles, while offsite the team volunteered a total of 124 hours with various charities including Doorways Derby foodbank.

Morgan Sindall also rose to the challenge of navigating a significant increase in costs of materials and labour from when the project was initially planned back in 2020. The project was delivered according to the original budget while still keeping to the high standard of work and materials for which the tier one contractor is known.