Kier starts £44.9m Wellfield Academy rebuild


Kier Construction has started work on the £44.9 million replacement of Wellfield Academy in Leyland, Lancashire.


The project is being delivered for the Department for Education through its GenZero Pathfinder programme. The replacement secondary school will have capacity for around 900 pupils and is being delivered in phases to allow the existing school to remain operational during construction.


Five of the current campus’s six buildings are due to be demolished. The existing sports hall will be retained.


The new building will use cross-laminated timber as part of its structural approach. The project is one of the schools being used by the DfE to investigate lower-carbon approaches to school construction.


Kier’s appointment was confirmed in July, with the contractor responsible for delivering the project through a phased construction programme. The final phase is scheduled for completion in 2028.


The use of timber is one of the notable features of the project for design teams, but the scheme also demonstrates the practical requirements of delivering a replacement school on an occupied campus. Retaining the sports hall means the project is not simply a complete clearance and rebuild. The new accommodation needs to be planned around an existing facility that will remain in use


The GenZero programme is intended to test new approaches to reducing carbon in school construction and operation. Wellfield Academy is therefore one of a number of projects through which the DfE is gathering practical experience of alternative materials and construction methods.


For specifiers, the project provides a live example of the DfE investigating lower-carbon structural systems within a mainstream secondary school rather than treating low-carbon construction solely as a theoretical exercise. Kier’s work is expected to continue through to 2028.


Five Isle of Wight schools move forward under rebuilding programme


Five Isle of Wight schools have been prioritised for the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme, with contractors now appointed for two of the schemes. The Isle of Wight Council confirmed in July that The Bay CE School’s secondary site, Nine Acres Primary School, Hunnyhill Ormiston Academy, St George’s School and Medina College had been prioritised.


Willmott Dixon has been appointed as contractor for The Bay CE School’s secondary site and Nine Acres Primary School. Building work at both locations is expected to start by the summer term of 2027. The Bay CE School held a public information event on 21 July to allow staff, parents and local residents to view the plans and meet members of the project team.


The other three projects are at earlier stages. St George’s School and Hunnyhill Ormiston Academy have entered feasibility, while work relating to Medina College is due to begin later in 2026. The five projects therefore represent a mixture of stages within the rebuilding process, from feasibility through to contractor appointment.


For school design teams, the schemes also demonstrate the timescale between a school’s selection for the national programme and construction actually beginning. Appointment to the programme does not automatically mean that work moves straight to site, with feasibility, design, planning and procurement required before construction.


The appointment of Willmott Dixon brings the two most advanced Isle of Wight schemes closer to delivery. The council’s announcement also confirms that the projects are being developed with input from the schools and local communities, with public engagement forming part of the process as designs progress.


The five schools form part of the wider national rebuilding programme, which is being used by the DfE to address schools where significant rebuilding or refurbishment is required. With two contractors now appointed and three further projects progressing through feasibility, the Isle of Wight programme provides a current example of multiple school schemes moving through the national programme at different rates.


New DfE guidance targets more inclusive school estates


The Department for Education has published new guidance aimed at helping schools, responsible bodies and professional teams improve inclusion and accessibility across mainstream education estates.


Inclusive education estates was published on 25 June 2026 and provides advice on identifying and implementing adaptations to buildings and outdoor spaces. The guidance is aimed at local authorities, responsible bodies, education leaders, professional advisers and delivery partners. Rather than prescribing a single design solution, the document is intended to help users assess individual estates and identify adaptations that could have a high impact on inclusion and accessibility. This makes it relevant to refurbishment and renewal projects, where improving an existing building may require changes to several parts of the estate rather than the installation of one particular feature.


The guidance covers the wider education environment, meaning the assessment can include buildings and external spaces. For specifiers, this provides a current DfE reference point when considering accessibility during refurbishment or alteration projects. It can also be considered alongside wider condition work where several improvements are being planned at the same school.


The publication comes as the Government increases its focus on renewing the existing education estate. The DfE’s Education Estates Strategy places greater emphasis on proactive management and renewal alongside major rebuilding. The guidance therefore provides another consideration for project teams assessing existing schools, particularly where the building has been developed over several decades and accessibility arrangements may vary between different areas.


The DfE says the guidance supports users in identifying practical adaptations rather than requiring a complete redevelopment of an estate. It is intended for mainstream education settings and applies in England.


The publication is separate from the DfE’s broader school design and construction standards, which cover new and refurbished education buildings and were also updated during 2026.


Autumn 2026 issue 4185 5


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