Morgan Sindall starts £32m Foxwood Academy expansion

Morgan Sindall Construction has begun main works on the £32m Foxwood Academy 2 project in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, creating secondary specialist education facilities for 150 additional pupils aged 11 to 18. Its Midlands business is delivering the scheme through the SCAPE Construction framework for Foxwood Academy and The White Hills Park Trust, following planning approval earlier this year.

The two-storey school is being built on the former Bramcote Park School site, where a major fire damaged existing buildings in September 2021. The former school has since been demolished and the land cleared. The new secondary provision will sit alongside the existing Foxwood Academy campus, providing a more distinct learning environment for older pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Noviun Architects developed the design, and Gleeds is managing the project. The construction programme is expected to run until winter 2027, with the first additional pupils due to start in January 2028. The distinction between construction completion and opening allows time for handover, equipping classrooms and preparing the new site for school operation. The dates remain programme targets rather than completed milestones.

The teaching accommodation is organised around an X-shaped arrangement of wings, with different key stages and learning pathways given identifiable parts of the building. Noviun’s proposals include 16 classrooms, smaller group rooms and specialist teaching areas. Shared facilities are accessible from the wings, helping staff and pupils move between quieter learning spaces and larger communal activities without relying on lengthy or complicated internal routes.

Core teaching rooms are planned at ground floor level to support access for pupils with mobility needs, despite the building’s two-storey form. The architect also identifies Pathway 1 classrooms designed to allow future hoist provision. This type of preparation requires thought about space, support and services early in the design, even where equipment is not installed immediately. Staff bases positioned for passive supervision and nearby breakout rooms form part of the same attention to how the building will be used during lessons.

A separate Preparation for Adulthood building will provide a domestic setting for learning practical skills, including cooking, cleaning and independent living. The proposals also include a dedicated vocational food building, dining accommodation and a multipurpose hall. These spaces provide different teaching conditions from standard classrooms, including practical work areas, storage and clear circulation, so their detailing and management will need to correspond to the activities planned for each group.

A gym and café are planned for pupils and potential community use. Noviun has also designed a multi-use games area, while the main hall and certain other facilities are intended to support use outside school hours. Shared use depends on suitable access control and management to distinguish public activities from the secure school environment; the detailed arrangements for opening these spaces have not yet been announced.

Outside, the site will include a cycle track, sensory and soft play areas, walking routes, outdoor teaching facilities and exercise equipment. The design seeks to retain mature woodland edges and existing landscape features, linking secure external learning spaces directly with the teaching wings. Such access supports supervised outdoor activities and reduces the need for pupils to cross unrelated parts of the campus to reach designated recreation or learning areas.

The site plan includes staff parking and dedicated pupil pick-up and drop-off areas alongside a legible main entrance. Organising arrival arrangements for assisted transport, staff vehicles and pedestrians is part of the school’s daily operation, while construction deliveries will have to be managed around the occupied neighbouring campus. No detailed traffic volumes or temporary vehicle routing arrangements have been publicly specified.

Noviun’s sustainability proposals include a biosolar roof incorporating photovoltaic equipment, rain gardens and sustainable drainage features. A planted roof and solar modules perform different functions: planting supports surface and ecological objectives, while the photovoltaic system generates electricity when conditions permit. Rain gardens and other drainage features are intended to manage runoff locally, with their performance dependent on levels, ground conditions, maintenance and the final detailed design.

The architect has identified an ambition for net zero carbon in operation. That remains a design objective, assessed through the completed building’s demand and installed systems rather than a verified result during construction. Building fabric, air tightness, heating and ventilation design, controls and actual school use will all influence energy performance after opening.

The £32m construction package follows an August planning-stage description of the scheme as a £25m project; Noviun’s architectural project page carries a further historical reference value. The material available for the different figures does not establish a directly comparable cost basis or identify any formal contract variation. The current amount relates to the newly started construction programme.

During the build, older Foxwood pupils are expected to have opportunities to learn about construction trades through activities including bricklaying demonstrations and supervised skills sessions. These are part of the educational engagement associated with the works, separate from employment or general access to active work areas. The scheme’s next measurable milestones are completion of the buildings and external areas, commissioning and handover, followed by the planned January 2028 intake.