New Schools for Old
arning area
shared le ral hub and view of cent l ia rt Pa : e. ir Below Wiltsh ary School, Archer Prim
at Amesbury
“Working and learning in a school that is designed to let in the maximum of natural light, provides effective use of space, and that also suits the needs of modern education is a pleasure.� Maggie Edwards Head Teacher, Amesbury Archer Primary School
You want the best learning environment for your children; so do we There is nothing more rewarding than seeing children learn and grow. Dedicated teachers, supportive governors and loving parents can achieve amazing things together: they and their children deserve the best possible learning environment. Sadly, many otherwise excellent primary schools find themselves in accommodation which is old, inadequate or no longer fit for purpose. Successive schemes intended to develop suitable education facilities have come and gone, leaving some schools to struggle on in the same old premises with no prospect of improvement in the foreseeable future.
Persimmon, a national housebuilder and developer, has used all its experience to devise a new way of providing modern, stimulating and unique primary school premises. Called New Schools for Old, it works by securing a new site and building a new school before redeveloping the old school site for housing. This method is proven to deliver schools more quickly and cheaply than public procurement routes, with no loss of facility: Persimmon builds and hands over the new school before the old school site is vacated and redeveloped, ensuring a seamless transition for pupils and staff. Success relies on full support from the school, the surrounding community, and the education and planning authorities, but with your help the Persimmon New Schools for Old approach can deliver the unique and stimulating educational environment that children deserve.
A new approach to building schools Under existing planning (Section 106) agreements, it is common for local authorities to ask developers to make a financial contribution towards a publicly procured school as a condition of receiving planning approval. This does not in itself result in the timely delivery of appropriate educational facilities: nor does the public procurement route necessarily result in best value for money. Persimmon demonstrated this a decade ago when Wiltshire County Council asked it to make a planning contribution of £1.5 million towards a new primary school. The county council found it could not build a new school based on the contribution alone and no gap funding was available. Persimmon offered to design and procure the school to the council’s specification and either fund the difference (if it cost more than £1.5 million) or return any surplus funds. The school was delivered for £1.3 million and the balance was duly paid over. erset.
ool, Som
mary Sch
r Pri tockmoo Below: S
Since then, Persimmon has worked with local authorities to deliver complete new primary schools associated with its major residential developments. The next logical step was to use this experience to deliver new schools for existing communities too. The New Schools for Old concept is a simple one: standardise the design wherever possible to control project time and costs, but leave sufficient scope for teachers, governors and parents to contribute their ideas and choose the facilities and finishing touches that best suit their needs.
How New Schools for Old works A primary concern for any school procurement is to ensure continuity for teachers and pupils so that the transition between the old premises and the new school is seamless. The support of the local community and the relevant authorities is crucial in achieving this aim. Persimmon will identify and secure a potential site for a new school. The participating school needs to talk to its community, raise awareness of the need for new premises and gain support in principle for the development of a new school and the redevelopment of the existing site. Once these elements are in place, the company and the school work together to develop the new premises. The plans for both the old and the new site then have to be submitted for approval by the local planning authority. Subject to permission being granted for both sets of plans, the new school can enter the construction phase. When it is handed over and everyone has transferred to the new premises, Persimmon secures vacant possession of the old school site and redevelops the site for residential use. To see how this has worked in practice, read our case study of Westbury Leigh Primary School on page 9.
A new route to a new school
Identify site for new school
Identify existing school problems & needs
Agreement in principle
Secure public support
Community support
Parent & School commitment
Secure support from relevant authorities/ organisations
New school plans
Planning process to permission
Construct new school
Housing development plans
Move into new school
Redevelop old site
One plan, many unique schools The New Schools for Old design concept is set out in a butterfly arrangement, where two classroom wings connect to a central hub containing shared facilities such as group areas and administration offices linking to the ‘tail’ which incorporates the main hall and kitchens. This arrangement provides for a two form entry school accommodating 420 pupils and a nursery (if required). Where only a single form entry is required, the design is reduced to a single wing.
Variations on a theme A curved plan, raking rooflines and large window areas are features that are common to every Persimmon school, yet each variant offers a unique combination of internal and external learning spaces and responds to site-specific concerns such as special needs teaching, site access and parking – as the examples opposite demonstrate.
1. Nursery entrance 2. Nursery unit included where required 3. Main school entrance 4. Multi-functional main school hall 5. Kitchen entrance 6. Learning resource centre can be tailored to suit individual school preferences 7. Direct access to classrooms via cloakroom 8. Group rooms positioned in the centre of each wing 9. Classrooms arranged in pairs around shared cloakroom and toilets 10. Central corridor of varying width provides light and airy space for extended learning and activities 11. All classrooms have direct access to external play/learning areas 12. Specialist teaching areas are tailored to suit individual school preferences 13. Central school access to external play areas
2
1
Single wing design, allowing for expansion later.
10 9
11
School with combined community hall and changing room facilities.
8 7 12
School with group rooms between classroom pairs and centralised toilets.
13
6 5 3
4
“We bring the same model and focus of delivery and cost control to our schools as we do to house-building.� David Thornton, Central Chief Executive, Persimmon Homes
Your questions answered Who pays for the new site? There are no hidden costs to the Persimmon model: New Schools for Old is, in effect, a swap. The value derived from the residential development of the old school site is used to fund the purchase of the new school site and its construction.
Will the school be closed at any time? No. Transfer to the new school will be arranged by agreement in school holidays.
How do we get the local authority to agree to the new school? If the local community supports the proposals, the planning authority should take account of their views in considering planning applications for the existing school site and the new school.
How long will it take to build? From start on site to the point it is ready for you to occupy, the new school should take less than a year. The transfer from old to new school will be scheduled to ensure there is no loss of facility.
What type of housing development will replace the old school? The mix and type of housing will depend upon the location and the surrounding area. It will be designed to fit in with the local area. The only requirement is that the development generates sufficient value to fund the purchase of the new school site and the construction of the new school.
Will Persimmon help with the public consultation on the development of the new school? Yes. Persimmon will fund and help organise any public consultation. The company recognises that, without the support of the local community, the new school is unlikely ever to get built.
What liability is faced by the existing school governors and head teacher if the project fails? None, occupation of the new school only takes place following its completion to the agreed standard and specification.
Has this approach been used anywhere else? Yes. This model has been delivered at six sites already and by the end of 2011 it will be providing dynamic learning environments for more than 2,000 primary school pupils. Visits to our completed schools can be arranged if required.
Seeing the results - a case study Westbury Leigh Primary School in Wiltshire is one school that has already benefited from the Persimmon New Schools for Old approach. It had an admirable track record, but its Victorian building was inadequate and the school operated out of two permanent classrooms and nine mobile units in the playground. The education authority concluded that it should be relocated to new premises. An area of land owned by Persimmon Homes and adjacent to one of its housing developments became available. Persimmon submitted a proposal to the council to develop a new school and the decision was taken to relocate Westbury Leigh to the new site.
Just 12 months later, the building was finished to the agreed deadline and Westbury Leigh’s 400 pupils started their new term in a new school, under one modern and eyecatching roof. Mary Murray concludes: “This particular design and build programme means that everything is completed on time, to deadline and in a most cost effective way, through a dedicated team of project managers and contractors.”
In conjunction with architects Stride Treglown, Persimmon worked with head teacher Mary Murray from the outset to ensure the new school would not only satisfy the needs of her teachers and pupils, but also be delivered to budget. Although the shell of the building had to adhere to National Education guidelines regarding aspects such as the number of classrooms, other details could be altered. Mary Murray explains: “We were able to have a say in where internal walls were to be erected, door furniture design and even the outside landscaping.”
ant as st as import areas are ju have ay s pl ol ho de si sc Above: Out . Persimmon es ac sp ng ni . internal lear g roof design d eyecatchin a modern an
What to do next If you believe that the Persimmon New Schools for Old approach could work for you, please contact us. We would be happy to come and talk to you in more detail and answer any questions you might have. Nick Scregg Divisional Managing Director Persimmon Special Projects Charles Church House Knoll Road Camberley Surrey GU15 3TQ T: 01276 80 80 80
“By the finish of the project we had our bespoke and highly individual school” Mary Murray, Head Teacher Westbury Leigh Primary School, Wiltshire
Š 2011 Persimmon Homes Limited, Persimmon House, Fulford, York YO19 4FE