Wilmott Dixon and Scape Group have been working together in order to complete the new Sacred Heart Primary School. The development took place in Sandwell and the school officially opened on the 24th April. Before the official opening, the primary school children had their first meal and had a tour around their new school.
Sacred Heart Primary school has been designed and built by Sunesis, which is the name of the joint venture between Wilmott Dixon and Scape Group. The work was carried out to replace an existing facility and will also help the school meet the growing demand for school places.
In Sandwell there has been a 26% increase in the birth rate, which can lead to pressure on the number of school places. There has also been a higher than normal movement in to Sandwell which can increase this pressure on schools. Therefore, the work to improve the Sacred Heart School will have appositive effect on the area.
The new school will be able to offer 420 primary school places and 52 nursery places; it is thought that the school will be full by 2022. The new school building has been designed in order to meet the needs of their pupils. Sacred Heart School is now better equipped to be able to accommodate children with special educational needs and mobility requirements. The school is also able to meet the dietary requirements because of the school’s band new kitchen. The new school is larger than the previous structure and because of this there will be an opportunity to support the community by offering family learning, including additional English lessons for both parents and pupils. The new school has had a good response from the pupils and teachers, who started at the new site after the Easter Holidays.
The project was delivered by Sunesis on time and on budget. Sunesis develops and pre designs new schools on a national scale and is known for their fixed costs and efficiency when meeting delivery dates.
