The Requirement

Cheshire County Council had a need for accommodation for a period of up to two years, of sufficiently high standard for young children.
The building was required extremely quickly, following a fire at the nursery and infant school to minimise disruption.

The Solution

Foremans, in conjunction with leading consultants Nigel Rose and Partners, provided a 42-module school comprising nine classrooms, a nursery, a hall/dining area, library, multi-purpose community room, staff offices, toilet facilities for adults and small children, and a storage room. This was achieved in just nine weeks.

The 1,300 sqm single-storey scheme was built by Foremans as a complete package with foundations, drainage, mains services and a fully fitted commercial kitchen for the preparation and distribution of up to 200 meals per day.

All heaters are low surface temperature models, finger guards have been fitted to doors, an intruder alarm and CCTV system were installed and access to the roof made more difficult.

Comments from the Client Team

Bob Allan, Project Development Manager, Cheshire County Council:

"Providing good quality accommodation for the staff and 300 children aged from three to seven was high on the agenda. The safety of the children was also paramount as well as providing facilities suitable for their age groups and to meet Government requirements. The imposed timescales required Foremans to work closely with the project team as the specified requirements were developed."

Charles Hale, Building Consultant, Nigel Rose and Partners:

"Speed and quality were the key factors in selecting Foremans for this project. We felt they offered the best value and we were convinced they would deliver. We looked at a project they had completed for a school in Formby and were very impressed and that certainly had a bearing on the decision."

"Underwood School was a difficult project and a major challenge as the timescale was very tight, access wasn’t easy and for much of the time, heavy rain meant the site was a quagmire. Care also had to be taken because of the adjacent junior school, which remained open throughout construction."

"Foremans demonstrated total commitment to achieving the project goals and have delivered a scheme, albeit temporary, on time and to budget of which we can all be proud. The accommodation is an asset to the children’s education."