Oasis Academy Clarkesfield

Oasis Academy Clarkesfield – Refurbishment and Extension

Client: Oasis Trust

Project Completion: November 2021

Project Value: £4m

Jamieson’s were awarded this project for the extensive refurbishment of a Victorian school and four new extensions through a competitive tender process. In line with Local Authority requirements, the school has been increased from a two-form entry to a three-form entry primary school provision for each year group. The school also includes a nursery and provides spaces for children aged between 3 and 11.

The school remained live throughout the building works, and we worked carefully with the school to plan our works to minimise disruption and maximise the safety of pupils and staff. This resulted in the project being completed over 18 phases, where we took partial control of an area, completing the works, and subsequently handed back to the school.

We implemented safe segregation of each phase from the operational school and ensured access and egress was maintained for the school throughout by timing our deliveries so not to coincide with peak school hours.

Services were maintained throughout with any shutdowns required that would impact on the school undertaken out of hours or at weekends.

Programme has been a key challenge on this scheme, ensuring each area was completed and handover over to the school to allow them to remain open throughout the build. The completion of Phases One to Three were critical to ensure all ground floor classrooms and the new nursery was completed and handed over ahead of the September 2020 intake and we implemented an accelerated programme over the summer break to achieve this. 

During phase six which involved a first-floor extension using a pre-cast block and beam system the site was impacted by extreme weather conditions. Through our daily liaison with the client, we our agreed to reprogramme our works and undertake phase seven simultaneously, ensuring the programme dates were met without issue.

At the outset we identified the lift car and associated equipment would be on a 12-week lead-in time and it was imperative this order was raised early. This mitigated against any programme delay.

Our Scope of Works included:

• Demolition of section of the original building
• Large complex propping of the original building
• Steel frame structure
• Structural steels
• External envelop works including brick work
• New flat roofs
• New drainage
• New foundations
• Internal fit out
• External works

As part of the project we have engaged with the school, taking part in their ‘Keep Clarksfield Clean’ campaign. We helped members of the community to undertake the first project within this campaign, working together with staff and students of Oasis Primary to help clean up one of the local alleyways which backs onto the school.