Willmott Dixon starts work on £61m school in Warwickshire

Willmott Dixon has started construction work on the £61m Oakley Grove School in Leamington Spa.

The school, which will provide 34 nursery places, 420 in primary and 900 in secondary with SEND provision, is part of a wider development across the local area comprising over 4,000 new homes and a country park.

Secured through the Scape construction framework, the school is part of Warwickshire County Council’s plans to make major additions to the community’s education provisions.

Cllr Kam Kaur, Warwickshire’s portfolio holder for education, said: “As well as providing a state-of-the-art facility that will be the hub of superb learning opportunities, the project is also delivering a great deal of social value, particularly for some young people who are gaining valuable training, employment opportunities and other work experience.  

“We are very pleased that the building of the school has included environmental factors and the school will be a low carbon setting which is in line with the council’s own commitment to reducing carbon emissions.” 

The school development will also provide a stand-alone sports hall, several natural turf pitches and an all-weather pitch for educational and community use, with all playing services delivered to Sport England design standards.

Construction of the new school facilities will be completed in summer 2024, with Oakley School pupils starting in September 2024. To facilitate the operation of the school improvements will be made to Oakley Wood Road.

Willmott Dixon is committing £1.5m through social value activities such as delivering careers talks, work experience, traineeships for those not in employment, education or training and creating local job opportunities.  

Michelle Cotterill, director for Willmott Dixon, said: “The Oakley School project is a major investment into the next generation of Warwickshire’s education offering and we are proud to have been selected alongside our delivery partners to bring the development to fruition. 

“As a cornerstone employer with Coventry and Warwickshire Careers Enterprise, we’re looking forward to engaging with other schools and delivering careers talks and guidance, curriculum support, safety talks, site visits, CV advice, mock interviews, work experience and much more to support the local community.” 

The design adopts a fabric-first approach to reduce energy consumption and limit carbon emissions in operation. The building will also feature air source heat pumps and PV panels as part of a renewable energy strategy. 

Mark Robinson, group chief executive at public sector procurement authority Scape, said: “The new Oakley School project will significantly enhance the lives of young children and their families across the local community.”