Back in the summer, we were delighted to complete on a very special development for Lancaster School, which is a member of the multi-academy SEN Trust Southend.

The Trust is made up of a strong group of schools which aim to meet the needs of pupils who require greater support in a special education school.

The team here at A.W. Hardy created a new building at the school’s site in Prittlewell Chase, Southend-on-Sea containing three new state-of-the-art classrooms designed to support a further 40 students from the local community.

The project ran for just under seven months; works began in January, and the classrooms officially opened in the middle of July.

Headteacher Tom Jackson-Owens shared his thoughts with the Southend Echo earlier in the year.

“These new classrooms give us the capacity to take more students with special needs, he said. “We have already had these new places taken and the school has grown significantly, being now able to have 120 students on roll. The reason this was planned, and the project was completed, was to help relieve some pressure off the SEN Trust, and we had their full support for this,” he added. “Three, or four years ago we saw the need for more places and to provide better facilities [and now] we have three new large classrooms, with the [facilities] to cater for youngsters with severe, profound needs.”

 

You can read the full article here.

The school’s bosses worked closely with our builders to ensure the works were completed as discreetly as possible so as not to interfere with pupils’ schedules.

A special opening event for the new classrooms was well-attended, with Anna First, MP for Southend West, and Jackie Mullans, Executive Headteacher at SEN Trust, both present.

Tom had the following to say about working with AW Hardy on the project:

“We are absolutely delighted with our new classroom block, and we would highly recommend this company. Hardys worked exceptionally well with the school and there was minimal disruption during the project – which was completed on time and under budget!”