modular
Manufacturing a solution to the school places shortfall
Paul Lang, Caledonian CEO, looks at how the company’s SMART offsite construction solutions can help alleviate the shortage of school places, through shorter build schedules that minimise disruption to the students, campus and the local community
A
CCORDING to a recent report, 53% of secondary schools are currently full or over capacity at year seven.
Based on responses to Freedom of Information requests from 100 councils, the findings also revealed that more than one in five schools (21%) were over capacity across all year groups and a further 20% were at capacity. Furthermore, with the Local Government
Association warning that over 125,000 children face missing out on a secondary school place by 2022/23, it is clear that classroom overcrowding is becoming a bigger and bigger issue. LEA’s need to extend existing establishments and invest in new facilities quickly, to accommodate the increasing number of pupils. However, with a shortage of funds and resources available, new schools, and
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supporting campus buildings, must be cost effective and built within short timescales. They also need to be of guaranteed high quality in order that the LEA achieves value for money.
Caledonian’s SMART construction method In comparison to traditional methods of construction, the education sector can benefit enormously from offsite. Often, more than 80-90% of the work can be completed in a factory, like our Newark based facility, which is a quality controlled environment unaffected by the weather. This reduces the chances of the build being put on hold due to adverse weather conditions. In addition, offsite offers minimal disruption to the both operation of the school and the local community by ensuring rapid build and cutting down
deliveries to site. This modern method of construction is
also suitable to more than just classrooms, it can be used to build all areas of the school including kitchens, laboratories, gymnasiums, changing rooms, large-span hall facilities, and offices, amongst others. Buildings can also be designed and built to an exacting specification, with a wide range of finishes and roofing options that fit seamlessly alongside any existing structures. Manufactured offsite and then
assembled onsite also creates a safer workplace, because it is a more controlled environment that requires less need for working at height. In addition, classrooms or whole schools can be completed within the school holiday
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