Construction work has now begun on the expansion of Breckland School in Brandon

Construction work has now begun on the expansion of Breckland School in Brandon. This will accommodate an additional 100 pupil places with a new two-storey standalone block, some internal refurbishment along with external works. Suffolk County Council have worked closely with the school to ensure that the expansion programme provides modern, fit for purpose facilities while minimising disruption to the day-to-day operation of the school.

A robust mitigation plan has been prepared to compensate for the habitat loss, with new native tree planting providing a wildlife corridor between the existing trees and pond to the wider site.

Liz Harris, Principal Architectural Designer at Concertus Design & Property Consultants, said “The new block has been designed with a fabric first approach, adopting low U-values with a high air tightness to reduce the energy demands and associated C02 emissions of the building. In addition to the passive measures, high standards of energy efficient building services equipment and natural ventilation, have been incorporated into the scheme. The standalone building is proposed to be served by an air-to-air reversable heat pump providing heating and comfort cooling within the indoor spaces.”

Jon Winn, Principal at Breckland School, said “It is very pleasing that Suffolk County Council are investing in the future of education in Brandon and the neighbouring villages. The popularity of the school has grown enormously in recent years and applications for places have vastly exceeded the number of places available. Being oversubscribed is a huge accolade to the quality of education provided by the school but has resulted in widespread disappointment for many local families. We can now provide 120 places in each year group and hope for a second phase of expansion that allows us to increase to 150 places. The addition of a designated teaching space for food and nutrition, as well as new science labs, multi-purpose classrooms and an activity studio allows us to expand our curriculum and significantly improves the quality of the learning environment.”

Mark Bailey, Director at Barnes Construction, the main contractor on the scheme, said “We are delighted to have been selected to construct this new facility for Breckland School and know that it will provide important work for numerous local tradesmen, ensuring that Suffolk residents benefit from this investment”.

Rachel Hood, Cabinet Member for Education, SEND and Skills, said “This extension will bring many positive benefits to the school and the community. It is wonderful that building work has now begun and I look forward to the day we can cut the ribbon and welcome new students. This project is one of a number of new school buildings in the area following investment by Suffolk County Council.”

This is just one of many school expansions that Concertus has designed on behalf of Suffolk County Council. The expansion of Bungay High School has started on site which will soon be followed by the expansion of Elmswell Primary School and Brooklands Primary School.

Each expansion project will provide valuable additional pupil places, enabling more children to be educated within their local area.