We have been appointed as main contractor for the construction of a new £15m Suthers School in Newark.
The Nova Education Trust and Department for Education are our clients for the project which will deliver a new secondary school building designed for 830 pupils.
With a focus on delivering an academic curriculum supported by a wider range of enrichment activities, the building has been designed to provide the very best learning environment for Suthers School students.
The indoor curriculum spaces are complemented by two full-size football pitches and two multi-use games areas. A landscaped courtyard within a sheltered quadrangle will provide areas for students when the weather is not so agreeable, and a kitchen garden will provide students with the opportunity to ‘grow what they eat’.
Environmental considerations run heavily through the design of the site with eco-friendly water management systems, a green corridor planted with native species between the site and the A1 and British hedgerow species and meadow grasses planted to the north and east boundaries.
Finance for the new build has been provided by the Department for Education. We have been an approved contractor on the DfE’s school’s framework for five years. During that time we have built more than £675m of educational projects across all sectors – primary, secondary, further, higher and private education.
Bowmer + Kirkland Regional Director, Steve Chambers, said: “We are delighted to announce our involvement in the new school and we look forward to working with everyone on this project to deliver a superb new facility in which the students can thrive and achieve their full potential.”
John Tomasevic, CEO of the Nova Education Trust added “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the DfE, Bowmer + Kirkland, CPMG Architects and all other parties involved in developing the plans for this fantastic new school. In particular I would like to recognise the untiring support Robert Jenrick has offered to the project from its inception. What Suthers School offers the families of Newark is a greater choice in secondary school provision, providing an exciting new alternative that compliments the other secondary providers in the town.”
Robert Jenrick MP, said of the announcement “I’m excited for the students and teachers that we are passing this important milestone for the Suthers School, with work set to commence shortly on the permanent buildings. Those involved in establishing the Suthers School had a vision of an outstanding school, offering the same values and standards that many Newark parents have chosen to send their children to Toot Hill in Bingham for, but located in Newark. The community can now see the school being built and have the added the confidence in its future that provides.”
The school is currently housed at a temporary site in Bingham and will move into its new home on the Fernwood Business Park once construction is completed.
Andrew Pettit, Head of the Suthers School summed up the feelings of everyone involved in the project when he said “This is a tremendously important moment in the school’s history. The Suthers School offers a uniquely character-centred education and this – together with the construction of our state-of-the-art facilities – means that the future really is looking bright for the young people of Newark.”