Cowbridge Primary School

Cowbridge Primary School is one of two new schools delivered for the Vale of Glamorgan Council by Morgan Sindall. Procured through the SEWSCAP 3 framework, the project sees a new build 1FE primary school constructed to provide 210 student places on the existing Cowbridge School site. The new facility has combined with the existing secondary school to create a new all through school.

Key Stats

New 1FE primary school on the Cowbridge Comprehensive school site
Combined with the existing school to create a new all through school
Constructed within a live school environment
Targeting BREEAM Excellent
10/10 Client satisfaction
Net Zero Carbon in Operation

At a Glance

Client

Vale of Glamorgan Council

Budget

£6.4m

Completion

June 2023

Location

Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan

Framework

SEWSCAP 3

Sector

Education, Primary

Social value

£7 million

Sustainability

99% Waste Diverted from Landfill

A new school delivered within the Vale

As part of the Vale of Glamorgan Councils Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, several schools have been constructed or refurbished within the Vale. Morgan Sindall had previously completed Whitmore High School through this programme with Cowbridge Primary School and Derw Newydd [Centre for Learning and Wellbeing] the latest in the collection. The programme has been designed to ensure that new school buildings constructed across Wales would not only be sustainably built but would also provide pupils with a facility that responds effectively to the modern-day curriculum.

Adopting a standardised tried and tested school design

The new building was designed using a standard Vale of Glamorgan school template, which had been tried and tested across three other local primary schools, including Whitmore High School. The project team used these schools as a benchmark and only made general changes where required. This included layout changes such as removing a sliding wall between the nursery and reception. Additional vinyl would also be installed to ensure cleaning would be easier. The standardised school template works for the Vale as they are familiar with how it functions, providing them with a seamless transition into their new building. The standardised template also reduces learning curves and time spent in the design stages.

Repurposing the old/existing MUGA pitch into a new 4G Pitch

The Primary school was built on a greenfield site, which was previously used as PE space for the secondary school students. However, by building in this location, the PE space would need to be reinstated somewhere else on the site.

There was an outdated MUGA pitch on the school grounds, which was originally going to remain untouched due to still being functional. However, following a design exercise with Southwest Sports Ground, the team upgraded the MUGA pitch into a new 4G pitch, which now serves as upgraded space for PE.

Achieving the clients net zero carbon requirements through several innovations

To support Wales becoming Net Zero carbon by 2030, the Welsh Government mandated that all schools and colleges in Wales must reduce its carbon emissions to Net Zero. Schools traditionally use a lot of energy to function, with most of this energy generated using fossil fuels. Following several design workshops with a range of stakeholders, the team were able to construct a Net Zero carbon facility.

Renewable energy sources were used where possible, with over 250 Photo Voltaic panels installed on the roof. Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) have been built into various places within the building. A Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) had been introduced on the project to reduce the volume of runoff reaching drains and watercourses, therefore reducing pollution.

Other carbon reduction techniques were used throughout the project and carbon reduction was achieved by collaborating with our Supply Chain partner Van Elle. Van Elle avoided the Blast furnace manufacturing technique and used an Electric Arc Furnace for the pile rebar. This produced a carbon saving of 18 Tonnes on the project.

Further carbon savings were also made in the region of 10 Tonnes, by opting for fixed scaffolding on site as an alternative to MEWPs. This was used on a number of site activities including the window installation, roof soffits and render insulation install.

Carbon Literacy Workshop Session at Llanfair Primary School

The Welsh Governments, Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme aims to ensure our projects provide more than just a building for the community.
In order to support these targets, a full social value and school engagement plan was delivered, led by our Social Value Manager (Owen Stacey). One example included attending Llanfair Primary School to deliver a carbon literacy workshop to year 5 and 6 students. The students were equipped with knowledge on the science and impact of climate change.