£13m specialist Sunderland school nears completion

A specialist Sunderland school which supports children with severe learning and physical difficulties, and which encourages “sustainable commuting”, is nearing completion.

Sunningdale SEN School, in Doxford Way, looks set to make its mark on the education of Wearside pupils aged two to 11 when it opens this September. It is the biggest school of its kind delivered through the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) building and construction works framework, with Kier being awarded the £13m contract.

The new 4,000 sq m new-build school, is part of the City Council’s £45m programme of school updates. It will offer “state of the art” facilities, extra hall and therapy provisions including rebound therapy, hydrotherapy, light and sensory facilities and soft play. Each class will also have a storage area for students’ mobility equipment.

When completed in September, the school site will offer around 56 regular parking spaces and four accessible bays for staff and visitors, along with electric charging bays for four vehicles. Meanwhile, cycle-friendly facilities will also be incorporated as part of the development, including secure storage shelters and changing facilities with showers.

Laura Kyle, construction lead at NEPO said: “Through a successful tender process, Kier was awarded the project as principal contractor in February 2021. This is the biggest project of its kind to be delivered through the framework and one which demonstrates real social value offering state-of-the-art facilities for the local community.

“NEPO’s building and construction works solution has been in place since 2018 and provides a compliant route for the North East public sector to procure construction contractors.

“Since its launch, our procurement solution has drawn on expertise from the public and private sector partners to drive best practice within the construction sector market. NEPO proactively manages contractor performance to maximise supply chain opportunities, local labour usage and other social value outcomes.”

Established in 1976, NEPO works in partnership with North East local authorities and the wider public sector to ensure public sector spending delivers value and drives positive outcomes. NEPO procures a wide range of goods and services, which means its solutions feature suppliers of all shapes and sizes, from SMEs to large multinationals.

Dan Doherty, regional director at Kier Construction North & Scotland, added: “To date over 71 per cent of those employed on the project have been local, with four new jobs created. We’ve also hosted 19 site visits for local students and residents and provided 250 weeks of apprenticeship training on site.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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