Education

We are proud to be building the first net zero schools for the Department for Education

Supporting the nation’s educational delivery since 1961.

We have an unrivalled track record of designing and building schools for both private and public sector customers.

Through our unique Adapt Zero methodology, we’re building the next generation of schools to the Government’s exact requirements while meeting the challenge of net zero operations.

48

schools built and refurbished over the last five years benefitting 51,000 pupils

£1.3m +

invested in research, innovation and resources

£240m +

of social value generated

School report

Over the last five years we have:

  • Built 48 schools, benefitting 51,000 pupils
  • Invested £1.3m+ in research and development, innovation and resources to build better and provide better value for money
  • Generated over £240m social value with a further £2.3m spent with social enterprises
  • Expanded our educational fit-out and refurbishment services via the Pagabo and DfE frameworks
  • Developed Adapt Zero – our design solution for the delivery of Net Zero Carbon in Operation (NZCiO) schools
Our net zero school designs have generated over £240m social value for education and the community

THE COMPLETE SOLUTION

Services for education

Working in live environments to build sustainable schools that deliver the DfE curriculum and keep students safe

Unique learning environments

We design and build inspirational learning environments to provide the best teaching and learning experiences.

We recognise that every school is different, so we focus on building an in-depth understanding of the bespoke ethos, pedagogy, day-to-day operations and cultural identity of each school. We transform each vision and aspiration into effective solutions for teaching and learning, professionally constructed, safely and considerately, to programme, quality and cost.

A dedicated single point of contact will guide the school through the process, using easy to understand language and information to ensure our clients can make informed decisions.

Adapt Zero – better, faster, greener

Adapt is our unique component-based design solution, deploying standardisation and offsite manufacturing to build schools safely, more rapidly while delivering the best possible value for money. All done while complying with customers’ exacting requirements. 

It’s not about building the same schools over and over, but distinctly different ones using a robustly tested kit of parts, held in our digital library, with high predictability of quality, cost and programme.

Adapt Zero builds on Adapt, to deliver Net Zero Carbon in Operation schools (NZCiO) and has been used to deliver the first round of net-zero carbon in operation schools in England under the DfE’s £10bn School Rebuilding Programme.

We are proud to be a long term partner of the Department for Education on their modern methods of construction framework

Strategic supplier

We’ve been working with Local Authorities, academy and free school trusts and private school networks for over 60 years and have been a partner of the Department for Education (DfE) since 2008.  We are also the contractor of choice for some of the UK’s leading multi-academy trusts. 

In 2019, we were invited by the DfE to join them as their industry partner in the Cabinet Office’s Strategic Supplier Relationship Management scheme. Working together we explore how we can improve collaboration and provide contractor insights into new policy and proposed initiatives, helping to drive better outcomes through DfE’s school delivery programmes. 

Our specialist team dedicated to schools, ensures consistency of approach and up-to-date knowledge of evolving DfE design requirements and educational delivery methods. Continued improvement and investment in school-specific R&D ensures we deliver the very best solution, for every school we are asked to build. 

Brand new all-through school built using offsite manufacturing techniques.

Bohunt – the ‘all-through’ school

The successful handover of this all-through school in West Sussex was completed in spring 2022.

The two-storey building consists of a primary and secondary school, with a separate nursery, comprehensive sports facilities, specialist teaching rooms and special educational needs areas, with use of offsite fabrication using our offsite manufacturing facility.

Brand new all-through school built using offsite manufacturing techniques.

Net zero carbon in operation

We are building the DfE’s first net zero schools in England, which when open will be NZCiO.

This is being achieved through a ‘fabric first’ approach of enhanced insulation, increased air tightness and other sustainable features to reduce heating demand and minimise energy consumption. The first of these schools, in North West England, are part of the Government’s ten-year Schools Rebuilding Programme.

Looking to the future

We believe in nurturing a diverse range of talent in order to support the future leaders of our industry, and working in educational environments gives us a brilliant opportunity to talk to young people about what they want to do when they leave school.

In 2019 we established a unique apprenticeship programme with Aecom and the DfE, where trainee project managers are given the opportunity early in their career to gain experience in different construction sector disciplines.  


Contact us

Talk to us today about your education project.