PRIMARY NEWS
Morgan Sindall delivers final phase of Newark primary school extension
Partnership – a joint venture between Nottinghamshire County Council and SCAPE – with Morgan Sindall’s Midlands business appointed to deliver the extension.
Pupils at Chuter Ede Primary School will enjoy eight new classrooms, a library, a food and science (DT) room, spaces for SEN therapy, a medical room, and a group room. The project has also created a new playing field with two sports pitches, a running track, rounders pitch, sunshade canopies and new outdoor equipment.
Generating meaningful social value for the local community has been a central aspect of the development. This included a collaboration between Morgan Sindall, Arc Partnership, and Nottingham Trent University, enabling students to enhance their skills in architecture, technology, project management, and quantity surveying with site visits and project-focused lectures.
A £9.4 million extension at Chuter Ede Primary School’s Fernwood site in Newark has been completed by Morgan Sindall Construction, doubling the school’s capacity.
The project has seen the creation of a single-storey building which will accommodate an additional 210 primary school places. The new facility was designed, project, and cost-managed by Arc
Excelsior Multi-Academy Trust welcomes new CEO
Excelsior Multi-Academy Trust, a family of eight primary schools in the West Midlands, has appointed Darren King, formally the Trust’s Director of Education, as its Chief Executive Officer.
Darren steps into the role after two years as Excelsior’s Director of Education, bringing extensive
leadership experience across primary, secondary and sixth form education. He has held three headships and worked for a decade in executive leadership roles in one of the country’s largest multi- academy trusts.
An experienced Ofsted Inspector and former Lead Inspector, Darren has also worked with the Department for Education and Birmingham City Council and has a strong track record of supporting schools to improve.
His appointment follows a strong period for Excelsior, with the Trust securing three successful Ofsted inspections and pupil outcomes above national averages for two consecutive years. Every Excelsior school is now rated ‘Good’ or better in all areas, reflecting the Trust’s focus on high standards and its ambition to become one of the highest-performing trusts in the country.
A key focus for Darren as CEO will be ensuring Excelsior continues to deliver excellent teaching informed by the best global research, evidence and technology. He wants the Trust to remain at the forefront of educational innovation, using new approaches and technology to strengthen teaching and learning and prepare pupils for the future.
Darren said: “I am incredibly proud to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer and continue the progress we are making together across Excelsior. My focus will be continuing to strive for even higher standards and ensuring every pupil leaves us not only well educated, but as a confident, capable and compassionate young person.”
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In addition, the Morgan Sindall team invested over 50 hours on school engagement activities and provided 10 weeks of work placements. More than 200 students visited the site as part of an initiative to give students from a range of disciplines real-world construction experience. The tier one contractor raised £5,508 in charitable donations for the local community, including £3,000 worth of books donated to Chuter Ede Primary School. Team members also volunteered for a total of 88 hours of charitable time, including at Newark Food Bank. In total, the project generated £2.7m in social value, equating to a 36% return on social investment.
Research finds six in 10 primary staff lack confidence in SEND school spaces
More than six in 10 mainstream primary school staff (61%) lack confidence that their school’s buildings and outdoor spaces can accommodate more pupils with (SEND) without major changes, according to a new report.
The findings come from Space to Belong?, a survey of more than 500 school staff in England, commissioned by A&S Landscape, who design, manufacture and install covered spaces for education, healthcare, commercial and public settings across the UK.
Respondents included classroom and specialist SEND teachers, teaching and learning support assistants, special educational needs co- ordinators, inclusion leads, headteachers, deputies and assistant heads. Nine in 10 participants worked with pupils with SEND daily or almost daily.
The research highlights the practical challenges that pupils with SEND can face when school environments do not meet their needs. Among mainstream staff surveyed, 63% of primary staff saw physical or sensory conditions make participation harder for a pupil with SEND at least weekly; 50% of primary staff prioritised more shaded, sheltered or all-weather outdoor space for inclusion over the next year; and 82% said non-SEND pupils benefited from changes too. The research comes as more than one in five pupils in England have identified special educational needs, according to the Department for Education’s 2025/26 statistics.
The government has also committed at least £3.7 billion to high- needs capital funding between 2025/26 and 2029/30, as part of its education estates strategy.
Alongside the demand for suitable SEND provision, environmental conditions can affect how school spaces are used. Following the UK’s provisionally hottest summer on record, the Met Office has highlighted the potential for more frequent heat extremes.
As schools consider how to create more inclusive environments, the research highlights the importance of looking at the adaptability, accessibility and usability of both indoor and outdoor spaces.
October 2026
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