Construction firm completes multi-million pound school build

Morgan Sindall Construction has completed a multi-million pound build at a Derby primary school which was previously destroyed by fire.

Pupils at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School, in Mickleover, recently returned to their new classrooms following the completion of the £6.9 million project.

Morgan Sindall began work on the build in July last year, which took 45 weeks to complete.

Councillor Evonne Williams, cabinet member for children, young people and skills at Derby City Council, said: “I am pleased to see the school rebuilt to the highest standards, on budget and on time.

“This has been possible because of excellent partnership working between Ravensdale School staff, the governing body, and school leadership team, Morgan Sindall Construction, Lungfish Architects and the council.”

Richard Fielding, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Given the extensive destruction caused by the fire, speed to market was absolutely crucial to ensure minimal disruption to the pupils and the local community.”

The school was forced to close following the fire, which happened in October, 2020.

The blaze caused “extensive damage”, with everything in the infant school either being burnt or damaged by smoke and water.

The new, single storey building was designed by Lungfish Architects to be built with 58 modular units constructed off-site.

The whole school arrived on site on lorries where it was assembled to deliver a high-quality modern school building.

The new building, which sits over the previous school footprint, has been reconfigured to provide efficient teaching and play space for 270 pupils, and a 26-place nursery, for children aged 3 to 7.

Lorna Blanchenot, headteacher at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School, said: “It’s amazing to finally be home and all back together with our staff, children and families all under one roof.

“Our new school is a fabulous, modern school and we are really excited and ready to make new memories together here.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School staff and community, to Derby City Council and to Morgan Sindall for everyone’s hard work over every single step of journey in getting us back home.”

Mr Fielding said: “Thanks to the SCAPE procurement method and the level of collaboration between the Ravensdale school staff, councils, Lungfish Architects, and our Morgan Sindall team, we were able to turn the project around in 45 weeks and we’re now delighted to hand over the brand-new facilities.

“A huge thanks must also go to the neighbouring schools who kindly accommodated the Ravensdale pupils while building works were underway.

“This project really is a testament to what can be achieved when everyone comes together as a community.”

A time-lapse video has been created of the construction of the school, which can be viewed here.