Willmott Dixon has begun work on Garendon Primary School, a £11.8m, 420-place facility for Leicestershire County Council in west Loughborough. It is the first project to be delivered using a standardised primary school design the company has produced specifically for the council.

The two-storey, 2,089 sq m building on William Railton Road will sit at the heart of the Garendon Park housing development between Dishley and Hathern, where new homes have created rising demand for school places. Construction is scheduled to finish in July 2027, with pupils set to start that September.

The standardised approach is intended to shorten design periods and reduce cost and waste by refining a proven template across successive schools. To improve energy and running-cost performance, the specification focuses on materials and build quality, including a 300 sq m photovoltaic array on the roof.

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The steel-framed school has been procured through the Major Construction Works Framework, managed by Pagabo on behalf of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said: "We have worked with Leicestershire County Council for two decades, and Garendon is the first school we are building to the standardised design we created specifically for the council. That design lets each new school start from what we learned on the last one, taking time and cost out of the process, which matters when demand for places in areas like west Loughborough is rising as fast as it is. Garendon will give 420 children a modern place to learn, and gives the council a repeatable model it can use again as the county grows."

Cllr Charles Pugsley, cabinet member for children and families at Leicestershire County Council, said: "We have a growing county and our priority is making sure that new schools in Leicestershire are put in the right place. The start of work on Garendon Primary School by Willmott Dixon is a major milestone for this new community, and we're looking forward to the school welcoming students."

Garendon continues a 20-year partnership in which Willmott Dixon has delivered several primary schools for the council, including Hollycroft Primary School in Hinckley, Leicestershire's first school designed to be net zero carbon in operation, and the £9.3m Wellington Place Primary School at the Airfield Farm development in Market Harborough, which opened in September 2024.

During construction, Willmott Dixon will provide social value across the Loughborough area through apprenticeships, laptop donations, enrichment programmes and mock interview workshops.