The School Building Improvement Programme funding is an annual capital allocation from the Department for Education for Nottinghamshire County Council to spend on improvement works to it's entire education estate. The variety of works are dependent on the needs for each school, but can range from roof replacements and drainage improvements to energy-efficient lighting and boiler upgrades such as those carried out at nearby Jesse Gray Primary School.

As one of more than 20 schools across the county to benefit from the programme, West Bridgford Junior School was identified as an urgent project, and so the council approached Arc Partnership to design, manage and deliver the works on its behalf.

West Bridgford Junior School lies at the heart of a built up residential area and provides a learning environment for 355 pupils aged 7-11. Originally constructed in 1913, the roof was dated and on the verge of becoming unsafe. Needing urgent attention, it was agreed that the works would be carried out in 8 phases, to ensure a safe working environment for the whole site, and to enable the school to continue to be open and functioning.

The main building of the school consists of several pitched roofs which were insulated and re-tiled, along with new felt to the flat roofs. The majority of the roof slates were salvaged where possible and will be reused to prolong the life of other local buildings.

This project took careful and flexible planning in terms of access and logistics, not only to enable the school to continue to operate as usual but also within a built-up residential area with limited parking available. Additionally, working on a live school site meant that health and safety was critical to the success of the project, and it was essential to minimise any disturbances to the teachers and pupils during the school day.

To work around these, our project teams coordinated the delivery of materials and removal of waste to be carried at critical times.

The main purpose of the project was to ensure the roof was not a danger to the school's staff or pupils, as well as to stop the roof from leaking and to increase the insulation values up to as near as current U-values as possible in a 110-year-old building.

Overall, West Bridgford Junior School is now able to provide a high-quality educational environment for its staff and pupils. Additionally, as the insulation has increased the building's thermal efficiency, it is able to benefit from reduced running costs and utility bills.