Morgan Sindall Construction has completed work on a series of upgrades and new developments at Oakwood School in Horley, Surrey.

Working alongside Surrey County Council (SCC) and construction consultants Pellings, Morgan Sindall’s Southern Home Counties business created a new two-storey classroom block to relieve pressure on class sizes at the school, which can now accommodate a total of 1,650 pupils.

Procured through the Orbis Framework, the project forms part of SCC’s 2030 community vision to provide the local population with the education they need to succeed, whilst ensuring a sustainable, green future for the local area. Thanks to this development, Oakwood School will be able to provide high-end educational support for Horley's growing population.

The Morgan Sindall team employed its Intelligent Solutions approach to deliver a variety of benefits for the school and overcome challenges that arose during the project. This included guaranteeing that sufficient teaching space was available following supply chain issues caused by the war in Ukraine. The project team had to think innovatively and draw on its supply chain and expert skills to ensure the school could operate without any disruption. This saw a volumetric solution used to maximise available materials and space, which involved a modular unit being upcycled for use as an Inclusion Suite.

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Another key example was that the Morgan Sindall team utilised modern methods of construction (MMC). This included incorporating a Streif closed panel structural timber building system, which was manufactured offsite and delivered in sections with pre-installed windows, doors, plasterboard, insulation, external membranes and first fix components such as cables and pipes.

Morgan Sindall also resolved legacy issues key to the day-to-day operation of Oakwood School. The tier one contractor mended defective drainage systems and improved how students and staff move around the site through internal remodelling, which altered the layout of corridors, classrooms and departments. In addition, Morgan Sindall upgraded an electrical substation and created extra electrical capacity, which enabled the school to install a new all-weather pitch.

As the site remained operational throughout the refurbishment, Morgan Sindall carefully scheduled the construction activity to minimise disruption to staff and students. This included undertaking certain refurbishments, such as the drainage improvement, during holiday periods.

As part of its commitment to delivering social value to the communities in which it operates, Morgan Sindall, alongside Oakwood’s Forest School, built and donated a community pond which is now being used as part of the Outdoor Education Curriculum. The contractor also provided five weeks of work experience for local students, attended careers events and provided amenities during the exam period.