Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School
< Back
The Challenge:
The new primary school was needed to upgrade the facilities for the pupils and make the school site more compact and sustainable.
The facilities that were lacking in the previous building included a large enough hall to host the school for assemblies as well as being utilised for a performance space; adequate playing fields and courts; modern technology and teaching equipment.
The new school was delivered to a tight deadline in time for the new school year, providing an upgrade in the school facilities and creating a more compact and sustainable school site.
The Solution:
The new school includes a large hall, fitted with lighting bars and a sound system to create a performance space. Unlike the previous location, the building was compact rather than being scattered around. There is an external canopy adjacent to the building for more outdoor learning and sheltered play area for nursery and reception children. The school has been designed specifically for future expansion.
The classroom accommodation contains exposed ceiling soffits to maximise thermal mass gains. Kier collaborated with the architect, structural and mechanical consultants to ensure all aesthetic elements were fully considered, leading to effective coordination of acoustic rafts, lighting rigs, sprinklers, electrical containment and mechanical ductwork. The classrooms are controlled by wall mounted NVHR units.
The Impact:
There has been an increase of 105 pupils with the potential for further expansion in future, enabling a further increase in school places for the local community.
The school community was involved as much as possible throughout the construction process. A turf-cutting ceremony was held to mark the beginning of construction involving representatives from the school, Council and local community as well pupils from the school.
Once the steel frame was up, the school visited the site again to sign their names on the steel. There were several other tours with both teachers and pupils, meaning that almost all of the students and staff were able to see the new school at some point during the building process.
Community liaison meetings were hosted early on to ensure that all local residents understood the scope of the works and how it would affect them, as well as who to contact if they needed to.
At the end of the project, the electricals in the site cabins, like fridges, microwaves and kettles, were donated to the charity Help the Homeless Leicester.
" A fully committed whole hearted commitment to the job, led by an exceptional site manager. "Kevin Taylor Pre-Construction Manager Arc Partnership
View more projects
Every project we deliver is an opportunity for us to bring our unique thinking to solve problems, innovate and collaborate with our clients and beyond.
Berkeley Green & UTC South Gloucestershire & Stroud College (SGS)
Rising from the ashes of a decommissioned former nuclear site, SGS Berkeley Green, a converted 1940’s engineering hall, and new University Technical College (UTC) are the first educational buildings to be completed on a new ground-breaking GREEN campus, within Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park.
St Julie’s Catholic High School
Building a new school for 1,100 students within the grounds of the original. Abiding by strict environmental regulations and generating a wealth of social value within the local community.
Astrea Academy Sheffield - Secondary School
Construction of a secondary school to create much-needed school places in north east Sheffield
Cheltenham Ladies College, Fitness Centre
The addition of high-class sport and leisure facilities for one of the UK’s most distinguished private schools has created flexible, multi-purpose spaces wrapped around the existing centre. Alongside a new sports hall, activity studios, squash courts and a gym, are additional changing rooms, a MUGA and new car park.
Astrea Academy Sheffield - Primary School
Restoring a listed local landmark to its former glory to create a brand-new school for North East Sheffield.
Stephen Perse Foundation
The design and construction of a new teaching block and first-class sports facilities.
St Mary’s RC Primary School, Malton
Constructing a new annexe as well as a reconfiguration of the existing school in order to ease pressures on pupil oversubscription.
Dixons Sixth Form
Refurbishment and fit-out of a six-storey 19th-century mill building and coach house with a new build sports hall in Bradford for Dixons Academies Trust, maintaining the building’s heritage and ensuring it is suitable for teaching.
Chemistry of Health, University of Cambridge
Providing space for the study of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Aspect Court Refurbishment
£1m refurbishment of levels five and six of Sheffield Hallam University’s Aspect Court building to create space for degree apprenticeship students and an innovation hub
The Springfield Sixth Form Centre, Dewsbury Learning Quarter
Construction of the Springfield Sixth Form Centre, beginning the development of the Dewsbury Learning Quarter for Kirklees College
The David Attenborough Building
Updating an icon, providing pride of place for Charles Darwin’s finds, creating a prominent spot for a fully-fledged Finback whale, and being test abseiled by Sir David Attenborough.
Stowlawn Primary School
Procured through the Scape National Minor Works Framework, this scheme involved the construction of a new primary school provision at the existing Stowlawn Primary School in Bilston, Wolverhampton. Unique to this project was the building’s existing Passivhaus principals and bespoke brickwork façade.
Spring Vale Primary School
Procured through the Scape National Minor Works Framework, this extension and remodelling project has increased the School’s capacity whilst improving their Ofsted rating from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’.
University of Essex STEM Centre
Creating a state of the art teaching centre for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Waterside Student Residences
A joint venture with Kier Major Projects for the University of Northampton. The project marked the first time Kier had committed to a large-scale Light Gauge Steel (LGS) frame project and is the largest LGS project to date in the UK.
Sensor City
Creating a ‘Knowledge Quarter’ for Liverpool, a collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, delivering a highly adaptable research environment and incubator space for start-ups and SMEs who are developing digital sensor technologies and applications.
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
A unique, world-class, state of the art neuroscience research institute at University College London.
Slade Green Regeneration
The simultaneous extension and refurbishment of two neighbouring primary schools.
Yr Egin Media and Office Development
Bringing an iconic and sustainable development to the Carmarthen campus of the University of Wales, providing 40,000 sq. ft. of accommodation for for Welsh Media company S4C and the University's new media faculty and offices, and achieving a BREEAM Excellent certificate for sustainability.
Falmouth School Sports Pavilion
The design and construction of a sports pavilion, including FA compliant changing facilities, gym, office space and flexible recreation areas. In addition a first floor balcony was incorporated into the design which overlooks the sports pitches.
Cathedral School
Creating a two-form entry primary school within a Grade 1 listed building.
Harris Girls' Academy Bromley
The demolition, refurbishment and three-story new build of a local all-girls school located in South London.
Oakwood High School
New build secondary school developed under the Education Skills and Funding Agency's (ESFA) Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP), providing modern accommodation with increased pupil capacity and facilities for classrooms, in addition to a Learning Resource Centre which integrates with pupil breakout areas.
National Transport Design Centre
The UK – and Coventry as a city - is well-established as a leader in automotive, aerospace, rail and marine design. Coventry University’s National Transport Design Centre (NTDC) aims to boost design innovation in the transport sector and bridge the current shortfall in creative skills.
Don Valley Academy
New build secondary school developed under the ESFA’s Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP), providing modern accommodation with increased pupil capacity for 1,200 pupils and 300 post-16 students.
Caol Joint Primary School Campus
Designing and constructing of a new joint campus school for The Highland Council to incorporate two neighbouring primary schools, Caol Primary School and St Columba's RC Primary School, together with a community facility.
Huntington Community Primary School
Blending traditional and innovative solutions to create a new-build, two-storey, 420-place primary school and 26-place nursery in Chester.
The Grove School
Undertaking a major refurbishment of a former Council building, originally a late Edwardian school, into a new school in Haringey, for 104 students aged 5–19 who have a primary diagnosis of autism.
Tiger Way
Kier Design and Business Services working in partnership with the London Borough of Hackney to deliver mixed-use developments and education schemes to create revenue for further local investment.
Aureus Secondary School
Delivering a new secondary school on the Great Western Park Development in Didcot, ensuring it was completed in time for the start of the new school year, creating extensive outdoor sports facilities as well as a building for 1,200 students and working alongside contractors delivering housing projects.
Sheffield Hallam University Robert Winston Annexe
£1.4m installation of a modular, two-storey extension onto Sheffield Hallam University’s Robert Winston Building, located on SHU’s Collegiate Campus.
The Chase SEN
Converting and regenerating a disused engineering building at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College to create striking new modern facilities for disabled students.
Alperton Community School
The build of a new school and demolition works of the old premises, increasing capacity from 750 to 1700 pupils.
Degree Apprenticeship Centre
Revolutionary in its design, the first Degree Apprenticeship Centre on the Warwick University Campus marks a new stage in the University’s teaching programme. The new three-storey 2,400m² innovative development centre provides a bridge from education to industry.
Bartholomew School
Enhancing the estate of an already ‘outstanding’ Ofsted school to provide up-to-date facilities, fit for 21st-century learning.
Woolwich Polytechnic School for Girls
Building a brand new 8 form of entry school situated in Thamesmead in South East London. The new school holds 1,200 pupils and includes teaching spaces, science laboratories, ICT suites, a dance studio, art and music rooms plus a large four court sports hall and hard court play area.
The Institute for Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT)
New state-of-the-art research centre, the Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT) building, situated on the Swansea University Bay Campus provides future proof, highly specialised laboratories for fundamental and applied research and delivers a high impact, transformative research environment for industry and academia to collaborate in advanced engineering and materials.
Hawthorne Primary and Nursery School
A modern primary school in Bestwood, Nottinghamshire, for an expanding local community that involved pupils throughout the build delivered through the Scape Minor Works Framework by Kier and Arc Partnership
Swansea IQ and YFforwm Development (SA1)
Delivering £32m first phase of new Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter to provide a 21st-century state of the art education facility to attract students from all over the world to the University of Wales Trinity St David.
Ericsson - Radio Access Network Framework
The RAN (Radio Access Network) is the technology used in the UK to allow mobile phones to transmit and receive data and voice services. Ericsson are a leading provider of RAN access to many of the UK’s mobile networks and in 2013, we were appointed by Ericsson to maintain its RAN assets to keep the UK’s 4G and 5G networks live and operational
Springhead Park Primary School
Springhead Park Primary School is a brand new modular two-form of entry with additional 26 nursery spaces in Ebbsfleet, Kent. The new schools holds 420 pupils ages from 3 – 11. The building includes teaching space, food tech facilities, science laboratories, multi-use agency space and hard court play area.
Northstowe Secondary College
Delivering a 600 place Secondary School with 12 form of entry core facilities, as well as a 110 place SEN School and Energy Centre for Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT) on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council.
Alness Academy – virtual transition model
With Covid-19 restrictions preventing in person site visits, our virtual transition model supports pupils and teachers to familiarise themselves with their new building and access useful information to support their transition and adjustment to the new school environment.
Leaving a lasting legacy: Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School
Construction of a new £30m building for Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School, providing 1,200 school places and ensuring social value was delivered throughout the project.
Iffley Academy
New-build construction of a community Special Academy judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2019, for pupils up to the age of 18 with complex special educational needs and disabilities. The new academy replaces unfit for purpose old buildings, adding animal care, horticulture and construction facilities, a mock flat and pupil-run café.
Whitelands Academy, Kingsmere
A brand new 600 pupil secondary academy school for years 7-11, built to support Kingsmere, a new housing development in south-west Bicester. Constructed to BREEAM principles, the academy features 26-classrooms, SEN provision, a four-court sports hall built and fitted to Sport England standard, external social spaces and multi-use games areas.
Clearwater Primary Academy
A ‘Forever Home’ for a nomadic Primary School which originally operated from dilapidated portacabins and then moved to occupy converted offices with no playground. The new Academy is a spacious home to 67 pupils but allows for 420-student capacity as the new housing developments in the area become occupied.
Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School
Design and construction of two replacement buildings as part of a 1,100 pupil school in Canterbury, Kent, providing 7,500m² of teaching space across a range of traditional classrooms and learning areas with specialist areas for art, science and technology. The second phase, currently underway, includes asbestos clearance, demolition of the existing school buildings, construction of a car park and MUGA area.
Hartsdown Academy
Hartsdown Academy is a secondary school with academy status located in Margate, Kent for circa 1000 students aged 11 to 18. The project was completed over two phases where phase one comprised of the demolition of two existing school buildings and the construction of a new three storey teaching block. Phase two involved the demolition of three existing school buildings and the installation of a new pre-fabricated modular building.
Spa School, Camberwell
Spa School Camberwell is a co-educational special school for students aged 5 to 16 with autism. Construction works included the structural alteration, internal remodelling and fit out of a three storey Victorian building with a three storey new build extension. It has the capacity for 120 students and 80 staff.
Cattle Market Road, Bristol
Saving carbon, fuel and costs through the use of Solar Hybrid Towers at Cattle Market Road site in Bristol