Member Article

BAM Construction to build £11 million new home Free School in Teesside

BAM Construction is to build an £11 million new home for Ingleby Manor Free School and Sixth Form on Teesside.

The contractor, which has offices in Gateshead, will create a three-storey, U-shaped building for the Teesside institution.

When finished in Spring 2016, the modern building will house pupils within their community, allowing a welcome move from the school’s temporary premises on an industrial estate.

The school will also be widely used by the Ingleby Barwick community, with sports, café and computer facilities among those to be made available in the evenings and at weekends.

School pupils will be able to use the construction project as a learning resource, and BAM will seek to work with local suppliers where practical.

Sustainability features in the new school building will include solar panels on the roof and natural ventilation.

The building will eventually hold up to 750 pupils. Free schools are state funded but independent of local authority control.

BAM construction director Andrew Warwick said: “We are looking forward to beginning work on this much-needed facility for Ingleby Barwick.

“As well as allowing pupils to move into a modern, purpose-built facility at the heart of their community, this school will also benefit the rest of the community, giving them a place to meet, learn, exercise and socialise.

“BAM will, as always, work hard to ensure this scheme benefits the local community, environment and economy during construction as well as in end use.”

BAM, who won the project through the national Education Funding Agency, is aiming to start on site in March 2015, subject to the planning process.

The contractor is currently building a new teaching centre at Teesside University, and has projects throughout the North East of England.