The Brief:
Hull City Council and the DfE wanted to create an alternative provision academy to serve vulnerable students in Hull and the East Riding.
This was a unique venture as direct delivery was selected through the LEP as opposed to delivery through their existing framework, this enabled the contract brief and design to be developed in conjunction with the user groups whilst mitigating risk and allowing works to commence on-site at the earliest time possible.
Utilising the site of the former Annandale School in East Hull, the building needed an internal floor area of 2100m² for an estimated 150 pupils aged 10 to 16, who were ‘at risk’ of exclusion from mainstream school.
It needed to include a vocational skills areas for motor vehicle and construction training on the ground floor, as well as car parking space, drop-off areas, footpaths, outside play areas, a hard surface games area and grass sports pitch.
The Solution:
Weekly engagement sessions were held throughout the design process included consultation with facilities management expertise to consider whole life costing of the building, which led to intelligent product selection resulting in more affordable operating costs for years to come.
Aspire Academy was the first school to be built outside of the £400 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which saw 27 new and improved education facilities delivered across Hull over a six-year period – the largest regeneration programme the city has ever seen.
Sewell Construction Ltd was appointed to complete the build on behalf of Esteem.
The Delivery:
The purpose-built school houses 25 teaching spaces, including vocational learning areas, such as a motor vehicle bay, hair and beauty salon and a construction skills space, as well as a library resource centre.
Sewell used a local supply chain to deliver the project, which benefited the local economy by three times the capital spend.
In addition to the construction programme, Sewell sponsored and coordinated a £25,000 personal development programme for 12 pupils from Archbishop Sentamu Academy in Hull.
Working with young people’s charity CatZero, the programme included hands-on trade experience and site events to develop the young people’s employability skills.
The Results:
• Aspire Academy, the first alternative provision academy school in Hull and one of 16 in the UK, opened in January 2015.
• The academy has been purposely designed to meet the needs of its students to support them on their tailored learning journeys.
• Contract Value £3.2m.
• Contract duration Apr-14 to Jan-15
• Delivered on time.
• Delivered on budget.