A new 15 classroom primary school — designed and built by Sunesis, a joint venture between Willmott Dixon and Scape Group — replaces ageing existing facility to meet the growing demand for school places in Sandwell.
Almost 200 primary school children enjoyed their first meal and a tour around their new Sacred Heart Primary School before it officially opened on 24th April.
“There has been a 26% increase in the birth rate in Sandwell and higher than normal movement into the area, so it’s crucial we ensure that every child has a school place and a great education,” said Sue Moore, Group Head for Education Support Services at Sandwell Council.
“We’re thrilled with our new Sunesis school, it was built incredibly quickly and to a fantastic standard — the children’s eyes lit up and you could hear them saying ‘wow’ when they walked through the doors.”
The new school, which will be able to offer 420 primary places and 52 nursery places, is expected to be full by 2022.
Headteacher Mrs Gee said: “I cannot wait to come back after the Easter holidays to our brand new school. The new building means so much more to us than extra school places, the way the building is designed means we can better meet the needs of our pupils; whether that be children with special educational needs, mobility needs or even dietary requirements thanks to our new kitchen. Having extra space also means we can better support the community with family learning, such as additional English lessons for parents and pupils.”
Head girl at Sacred Heart, 11-year-old Amara said: “Our current school is a bit cramped, but this new school is great, it has an extra big hall and is very spacious. It’s colourful and I am looking forward to coming to school here.”
Tim Carey Product Director for Sunesis, added: “Seeing the positive reactions from the children and teachers was brilliant. As always with Sunesis the project was completed both on time and on budget, and it’s great to know that the work we do will have such a positive impact on local children and the community.”
Operating nationally, Sunesis develops pre-designed new schools with fixed costs and known delivery dates — providing absolute certainty of delivery to both private and public sector customers.
