IN Brief:
- The replacement school will provide 210 primary places, 24 nursery places and 41 dedicated special educational needs places.
- The development is being delivered through the Constructing West Midlands Framework on a former golf club site.
- The school has advised families that construction is targeting completion in late 2027.
Galliford Try has marked the start of construction of the £10.3m replacement Forestdale Primary School in Birmingham, where a new education building will accommodate mainstream primary pupils, nursery children and specialist provision for those with special educational needs. The project is being delivered through the Constructing West Midlands Framework on the former North Worcestershire Golf Club site, replacing the school’s existing premises on Wareham Road.
The planned accommodation comprises a one-form entry primary school for 210 pupils, a nursery with 24 places and 41 dedicated places for children with special educational needs. Additional breakout spaces will support the specialist provision, while outdoor facilities will include play areas, a playing field and a Multi-Use Games Area. Parking is also planned for the school and an associated community hub.
Representatives from Birmingham City Council, Acivico Group, Constructing West Midlands, the school and Galliford Try attended a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the construction milestone. The event followed an extended period of planning and consultation over the school’s relocation, with proposals developed to provide accommodation for existing pupils and additional families living in the surrounding area.
The development is located at the former golf club on Hanging Lane, within approximately one mile of the existing school. Birmingham City Council has identified demand associated with the surrounding estate and nearby housing development as part of the justification for the new facility. The school relocation will therefore change the location and physical accommodation available for education provision, rather than simply extending the existing Wareham Road building.
Forestdale Primary School previously confirmed that site establishment was scheduled to begin on 7 September 2026, with temporary fencing, construction compound preparation and enabling works forming the initial activities. The October groundbreaking ceremony is consequently a public milestone within the construction programme, rather than proof that the contractor first entered the site on the day of the event.
The school’s published information describes a single-storey replacement building. Its proposed arrangement brings different education requirements into one development, including classrooms, nursery accommodation, specialist spaces and shared facilities. These functions place different demands on circulation, supervision and access, although detailed internal layouts and room specifications have not been included in Galliford Try’s construction announcement.
Additional breakout spaces are intended to support the specialist education accommodation. Their inclusion is part of the confirmed building brief, but the contractor has not published the design of individual rooms or the particular environmental, acoustic and accessibility features being installed. Those technical details would require further design evidence before specific performance claims could be made.
The external works are also a substantial part of the development. The proposed playing field and Multi-Use Games Area will provide different types of recreation space, supported by general outdoor play facilities. Incorporating these areas within the former golf club site requires the building and its external spaces to function as a single campus, with access routes connecting classrooms, recreation areas and the parking provision.
The project has been developed through a consultation process involving families and local residents. Birmingham City Council approved the proposal to relocate Forestdale Primary School to the former North Worcestershire Golf Club site, while the school subsequently published updates on the building proposals and design development. The construction stage follows those earlier decisions and does not represent a new approval to relocate the school.
Galliford Try is delivering the development through the Constructing West Midlands Framework, with Birmingham City Council and Acivico Group among the organisations involved. The announced £10.3m figure describes the project value, but the contractor has not provided a detailed allocation between building construction, external works, professional services and other project expenditure. It should not be presented as a separately verified value for every element of the contractor’s scope.
The former golf club location provides space for a replacement facility with substantial external accommodation. However, the project announcement does not identify the proposed structural frame, foundation design, external wall construction or building services systems. No particular form of modular construction, heating technology or certified environmental performance standard can therefore be attributed to the school on the available evidence.
Construction will need to accommodate the development of the new building and its associated external areas before the school can occupy the site. Completion of the structure alone would not make the campus ready for pupils, because circulation routes, play facilities and necessary safety arrangements form part of the intended accommodation. The published information does not establish the detailed sequence of internal fit-out, external works and handover.
The school has advised families that the project is targeting completion in late 2027. That timetable supersedes earlier planning-stage expectations of a spring 2027 finish, which were published before the later construction programme was established. No precise handover date or confirmed first day of teaching in the new building has been announced.
Simon Courtney, managing director of Galliford Try Building West Midlands and South West, welcomed the construction milestone and the opportunity to deliver the new facility with Birmingham City Council. The contractor describes the building as providing modern, inclusive education accommodation, with the combination of mainstream and specialist places forming a central part of the project brief.
The £10.3m investment adds a replacement education facility to the local construction programme, with future school capacity linked to the delivery of the building and associated campus facilities. Work has progressed beyond consultation and design into site activity, while the late-2027 completion remains a target. Further construction updates will be needed to establish progress towards building completion, commissioning and occupation.
