Multi-million pound rebuild boost for Derbyshire Primary School

A ceremony has been held to officially mark the start and progress with work on a new £8.5m primary school – the largest project of its kind Derbyshire County Council has been involved in.

The current 1930s Bramley Vale Primary School building had come to the end of its life and required replacement as the ongoing repair bill was no longer cost effective compared to the cost of a complete rebuild.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Councillor Alex Dale attended the ceremony on Friday (January 19) with school Headteacher Rob Rumsby, representatives from the council’s school development team and its design and build consultancy partner Concertus, developer Morgan Sindall and Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher.

The building, off York Avenue in Bramley Vale near Chesterfield, will accommodate up to 175 pupils aged up to 11.

Councillor Dale said: “This is one of the biggest primary school building projects we have ever been involved in and we’re very pleased to be working in partnership on this exciting multi-million-pound project making the best use of our resources to provide a high-quality modern school for local children and for use by the wider community.

The works have been phased to allow pupils to be taught in temporary classroom accommodation on the lower school field site to limit disruption to their learning while the original school building is demolished and the new one built on the original building footprint.

“I would very much like to thank and praise Headteacher Rob Rumsby, his staff and all the parents and pupils for the way they are carrying on as usual with school life and learning and as positively as possible while extensive building work is going on around them,” added Councillor Dale.

“I’m confident they will be delighted with the end result which will be a huge asset to them and Bramley Vale and as a valued community base for the surrounding communities.”

The new school will feature:
Five full-size classrooms with improved workspace area – each with low-energy efficient lighting and with natural ventilation and heat recovery ventilation systems to reduce energy use, plus carbon dioxide and temperature control to provide adequate fresh air, manage air quality and reduce over-heating
A general teaching room which will also be used as an after-school space
Library
New toilets
A new catering kitchen facility
Staff room
New office space
Reinstatement of the school field to Sports England standard
Installation of new wall-mounted PE equipment
Eco-friendly heating and ventilation with heat recovery system throughout for optimised energy efficiency and comfort
The extensive school grounds will also be landscaped for wider use including for Forest School lessons as part of the ambitious rebuild project expected to complete later this year.

Headteacher Rob Rumsby said: “The whole school community, in the widest sense, is looking forward to seeing the completion of the partial school rebuild. Bramley Vale Primary School had been ear-marked for needing a total or partial rebuild many years ago. I was pleased when joining the school in January 2021 that the governing body and I were given the opportunity by Derbyshire County Council and Concertus to review and discuss the designs.”

During the consultation period a working kitchen was added to the design along with additional classroom capacity.

“It has been vitally important to all the school stakeholders that we get the best possible outcome for residents of Bramley Vale, Doe Lea, Glapwell and the wider community we serve and we are fully committed to ensure we have the best possible outcome,” added Mr Rumsby. Operations Director at Concertus Design and Property Consultants Tom Marshall said it was ‘fantastic’ to see work progressing well at Bramley Vale.

“The development of a new learning facility here for students is exciting and will see the creation of a modern and innovative learning environment for children in the area. The new facility will provide a range of benefits for students and the community alike, and it’s sure to make a positive impact for many years to come.”

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this exciting project, and we look forward to working collaboratively with Morgan Sindall and Derbyshire County Council to deliver this project for Bramley Vale and the surrounding area.”

Midlands Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction Richard Fielding said: “As a live, operational learning environment the key consideration throughout the Bramley Vale Primary School project has been to provide an outstanding new facility whilst keeping disruption to a minimum.

“Through the provision of a Temporary Learning Village students will be able to continue their learning journey while we push on to complete their new school. From the conversations we’ve had with the school, we understand the importance of the rebuild and the excitement at its delivery. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Derbyshire County Council, Concertus, the school and the wider community in what will be a fantastic facility once completed.”

The newly rebuilt Bramley Vale Primary School will be situated opposite a new £1.2m purpose-built foundation block for its younger pupils which opened in 2015 featuring two classrooms and an outside play area for nursery and reception classes as well as toilets, an office and lobby area.