Steel signing celebrated at Canterbury’s Pilgrims’ Way Primary School

Pupils, parents and stakeholders held a steel signing event this week at Pilgrims’ Way Primary School in Canterbury.

The highly sustainable development will replace the existing time-expired buildings with a new two-form entry primary school, which will enhance the educational provision for the local community’s young learners.

Morgan Sindall Construction was selected by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver the school, which will be operated by Veritas Multi Academy Trust and have capacity for 420 pupils. The new building will be ready for occupation in early 2026.

On December 11th, two pupils along with their parents and school staff members joined representatives from the DfE, Morgan Sindall, Canterbury City Council, the Veritas Multi Academy Trust, and design consultants Arcadis to celebrate the new school’s development.

Those present included Councillor for Barton Ward, Connie Nolan; the DfE’s School Rebuilding Programme Director, Luke Kennedy; Morgan Sindall Construction’s Southern Home Counties Area Director, Guy Hannell; Pilgrims’ Way Primary School’s Headteacher, Emma Campbell; and Veritas’ CEO, Kerry Jordan Daus.

The scheme will see the creation of a new hall, classroom spaces, kitchen, and a multi-use games area (MUGA). The existing nursery will remain on site and be connected to the new infrastructure.

As construction is taking place alongside a live school environment, Morgan Sindall has carefully planned the building work so as not to affect the school’s day-to-day operations.

The new buildings will embrace the DfE’s objectives toward net zero carbon. This will be achieved through sustainable design and construction processes, including energy efficient materials and less reliance on gas by using air source heat pump (ASHP) technology. The roof will be covered in photovoltaic (PV) panels and a fabric first approach to air tightness and insulation will be adopted via the use of high-spec windows and doors to ensure a high U-Value rating.

CarboniCa, Morgan Sindall’s in-house digital carbon reduction tool, will also be used to measure whole life carbon emissions, ensuring potential carbon outputs are managed and reduced during the design, construction and operation of the building.

The project marks the first appointment for Morgan Sindall’s Southern Home Counties business under the latest iteration of the DfE’s construction framework.

Guy Hannell, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Southern Home Counties, said:

The steel signing ceremony marks an exciting moment in the creation of the new Pilgrims’ Way Primary School. The high-end and sustainable educational environment being created is a real testament to the close, innovative nature of the collaboration between all the stakeholders on the project, including our team, the school, the DfE, Veritas and Arcadis.

With our Canterbury office just down the road, we know the important role this school plays within the local community and are aware of the many benefits the development will provide for the city’s young pupils and families. Our understanding of the area, its challenges, opportunities, and requirements, has helped guide this project, ensuring the school is tailored to the needs of the area.”

Luke Kennedy, School Rebuilding Programme Director at the Department for Education, said:

I am delighted to see construction progressing on the new Pilgrim’s Way Primary School. The way in which the school, Morgan Sindall and other stakeholders have worked in partnership to drive this forward is an excellent example of collaboration. The end result, replacing the current 1970s buildings with a new 21st century learning environment will make a difference to local children for many generations to come.”

Dr Kerry Jordan-Daus, CEO of Veritas Multi Academy Trust, said:

We are beyond excited as we watch our new building emerge into what promises to be a learning space which will meet our aspirations for the children and our community.”

Emma Campbell, Pilgrims’ Way Primary School’s Headteacher, said:

So much hard work has gone into this construction and we are now seeing our dreams become a reality, we can’t wait to move in.”

ENDS