Hackwood Primary Academy

Procured through the Scape Venture framework, Hackwood Primary School was the first modular build project to be delivered in the Midlands by Morgan Sindall Construction, with the efficiency of modular and offsite construction enabling the school to be built in less than nine months. At the time, the £4.7 million flagship project was also the largest to be delivered through the SCAPE Venture framework, as it looked to build certainty into public-private partnerships.

Key Stats

100% on time
100% on budget
9/10 client satisfaction
First modular project in Midlands region
£1,349,142 Social Value generated
94% Waste diverted from landfill
44/45 CCS score

At a Glance

Client

Derby City Council with Redrow & Miller Homes

Budget

£4.7m

Completion

June 2019

Location

Derby

Sector

Primary Education

Introduction

At Morgan Sindall Construction, one of our core aspirations is to create spaces that enhance the communities in which we can learn in. Forming part of a wider plan to build 700 new homes on the neighbouring Hackwood Farm estate, the construction of a new 14,000 square foot school would look to accommodate more than 200 children. Facilitated through the SCAPE Venture framework, which is available to non-public procurement bodies, the project was funded through S106 agreements by Redrow Homes East Midlands and Miller Homes.

Crane lifts in modular sections of Hackwood Primary School

Our approach

With the new estate growing rapidly, the school needed to be open and fully operational by September 2019. This meant Derby City Council required a fast approach to construction and the speed to market offered through SCAPE Venture helped to get the project live and onsite quickly.

A traditional school build of this nature usually takes up to a year to complete, however, by opting for an offsite construction and modular approach the team were able to deliver the new school in only nine months.

The team worked collaboratively with the design team and carefully created modules were built in a factory offsite, delivered to the site and lifted into place. The school went from foundation level to every single module being in place in just seven days, allowing the build to progress quickly and efficiently.

Social impact

The social impact Hackwood Primary School has left in the community is one that will leave a lasting legacy for years to come. The site team ensured it was more than a school that we built but was something that will act as a focal point to the new community. We did this by supporting the local community on every occasion. The team provided growth opportunities for smaller organisations with 22% of SMEs used being local. The site team also ensured any unused materials and equipment were donated to charities/businesses in the community, including the donation of £1000 worth of timber to the Star Foundation Trust for its new music studio. We also donated wooden pallets to the local farmers and supported the Birmingham Homeless donation with the provision of 30 all weather sleeping bags and 25 gift parcels.

After the children had settled into their new school, the team revisited the site to help them on their latest subject which focused on ancient Egypt. With guidance from the Morgan Sindall site team and members of staff from the school, the children learned about construction materials, recycling and how to make recycled materials look like a mummy.

The experience here has been excellent and that has been from initiation through to the project team on site. What I really liked is that you just got on and built it. The team were great, very professional and always found solutions. It was definitely good collaborative working. I was dubious about the modular solution, but the finish is as good as any school I’ve ever been to. - David Highfield, Derby City Council