Willmott Dixon wins £10.3m Birkenhead Academy deal

Willmott Dixon has won a £10.3m contract to part-refurbish and part-rebuild Birkenhead High School Academy.

The project is the latest to combine refurbishment and rebuild work as clients move away from building completely new facilities.

John Frankiewcz, chief executive for Willmott Dixon’s capital works division, said: “While there will always be a need to create new buildings, clients are being more innovative in how they renew them and this includes mixing refurbishment with new-build to modernise and enlarge the facility.

“As local authorities reduce their budgets in light of the Comprehensive Spending Review, the project to modernise Birkenhead High School Academy for Girls could well represent the future of capital spend in education.”

Carillion will start work next month. The contractor will modernise the nursery, infant and junior schools and link these together with a new three-storey building. This will provide a new library, ICT facilities and an assembly hall alongside additional classrooms.

The adjacent secondary school will benefit from the old school hall, built in the 1960’s, being replaced by a multi functional central space which will offer a theatre, dining room, study areas and a café, alongside a new hall. Other buildings on site will be retained but remodelled and refurbished to match the new facilities.

Mrs Chris Mann, the new principal, said: “The project will enable us to continue providing an excellent all round education for girls from the area of three to 19 years of age within the glorious original buildings but with 21st century facilities.”