The Challenge
The works in themselves were not particularly complex, however there were a number of minor complications to be overcome. The site benefits from a very small car park which was already far too small to cope with the number of vehicles brought to the site by school staff, and so the loss of some of this space to provide a site compound was undesirable. This was compounded by the presence of a second contractor who was due to undertake Safeguarding works in and around the school over the school summer holidays. The Safeguarding works were also to be administered by Make Consulting (Make) under a separate contract. In addition, the roofing works were of a scale which would likely exceed what could be accomplished within the school summer holidays, requiring some work to be undertaken while pupils were still at school. Both before and after the summer school holidays the roofing works would also be highly weather-sensitive and prone to delays should any inclement weather arise.
The Solution
Make facilitated meetings between The Grange Community Primary School and the Contractor and a programme was then agreed so that works would commence (and complete) in term time, before the departure of the pupils. This necessitated the erection of scaffolding at a weekend to avoid disruption to normal teaching activities. The “pre-holiday” works were targeted at staff areas to further avoid disruption to teaching areas which proved to be a successful approach. The roofing contractor recognised the pressures on the car parking space and kept their compound to an absolute minimum throughout the duration of the project. It was also arranged that welfare facilities would be shared between the roofing and safeguarding contractors which reduced the amount of welfare facilities that were required on site. In line with Make’s responsibilities as Principal Designer, we arranged for the Roofing Contractor to act as Principal Contractor for the purposes of the CDM regulations which provided clarity as to who had ultimate responsibility for the site, particularly during times when school staff were not present.
The Outcome
Works progressed well with no disruption to teaching operations, and a good working relationship being fostered between the roofing contractor, Make and the school. This relationship aided managing the inevitable pressures of having works on-site in a live school. When the safeguarding works commenced these were able to progress freely without either project hindering the other. Throughout the Project, Make provided regular site inspection reports to all parties, keeping a close eye on works progress and quality. Costs were monitored and controlled throughout the project, and the project concluded approximately 4 weeks ahead of programme and slightly under budget. Following completion of these works, Make continues to work with the School and the Trust, seeking to deliver further other projects. These include a boiler replacement scheme at that same school, along with a varying range of projects at other schools within the Orwell Multi Academy Trust.
Make are proud of the successful delivery of this project, particularly noting the lack of disruption to the school, despite a large amount of term-time works. We are particularly pleased with the strengthening of the relationship with the school and the Trust that this project has helped to achieve.
