Delivered through the Major Works Framework, managed by Pagabo, the £25.9m programme comprised a new 233-place primary school on a brownfield site, alongside the remodelling and extension of the existing 133-place secondary school on a separate, live site.
generated in social and economic value
spent with local SMEs
CCS score across multiple inspections
customer satisfaction score
Working collaboratively with the council’s SEND Expansion Programme Team, special school leaders and the Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum, Wates helped develop specialist accommodation shaped around the differing needs of pupils.
The new facilities include a hydrotherapy pool, sensory and physiotherapy rooms, and a variety of outdoor play areas. A fabric-first approach prioritised insulation and building performance, helping the school exceed current energy efficiency standards by 40%. This is supported by mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, LED lighting and zoned heating, enabling the facilities to be used cost-effectively by the wider community outside normal school hours.
Virtual reality and mock-ups gave the school a clearer understanding of the proposed spaces and helped them make informed decisions during the design process. Sample rooms established quality benchmarks for specialist finishes, while digital FieldTools provided live access to design information and supported geo-positioned snagging during inspections.
Collaborative planning with the supply chain, use of in-house manufactured packaged plant and effective management of change helped the team hand over the primary school four weeks ahead of schedule. This allowed secondary pupils to move temporarily into the new primary school, avoiding the cost of temporary accommodation.
Together with innovative approaches to services installations, this helped accelerate the wider programme by 10 weeks. The team also adapted the design during construction to accommodate an additional 70 pupils.
The project generated £4.5m in social and economic value, including £1.79m spent with local SMEs and £260,000 invested in skills and employment. The team also created 34 new training opportunities, dedicated 158 volunteering hours to community causes, provided 190 students with educational activities and delivered 42 hours of engagement.
The partnership between Wates and Lincolnshire County Council’s SEND Expansion Programme Team was named Project of the Year at the Lincolnshire Property Awards 2024. The scheme also received a bronze national Considerate Constructors Scheme award, following consistent scores of 45 out of 45 across multiple inspections.
Most importantly, the project achieved a customer customer satisfaction score of 94%.
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