LAKESIDE SCHOOL, LIVERPOOL

McPhillips were commissioned by The Witherslack Group to build a new Special Educational Needs (SEN) secondary school on the site of the former Wheathill Farm in Huyton, Liverpool. The Witherslack Group are the leading provider of specialist education for children with communication difficulties, complex social, emotional and learning needs.

This £4.8 million project took 44 weeks to complete and involved the demolition of an existing farmhouse and buildings and remediation of contaminated ground. This was a substantial build project which required the existing primary school to be linked to the new school and the new buildings had to accommodate the complex, diverse needs of the pupils within the school.

The works comprised of:

building a new steel framed teaching block, kitchen/dining area, administration block and associated external works.
creating a specialist IT/Media room and Science, DT and Food Tech facilities, fitted out with bespoke furniture.
installing a commercial kitchen adjacent to a full height dining area with roof lights and acoustic panels.
new reception, meeting rooms, offices and staff facilities.
a new glazed corridor and additional classrooms to link the school to the existing primary school.
new aluminium windows and curtain walling system.
car charging facilities, a new bike/ bin store and a MUGA area.

In terms of materials:

the building used a combination of brickwork, timber cladding and render.
the roof coverings were a mixture of slates and standing seam which was also used vertically on the walls to the kitchen/dining block.
external finishes included, block paving, tarmac, slabs and permeable grasscrete.

The challenges

A key challenge facing McPhillips was completing the works in a live school environment, where the safety and wellbeing of both pupils and staff was paramount. Creating a positive, safe and nurturing environment for SEN pupils is key, so keeping the disruption to an absolute minimum was essential.

The design and build needed to accommodate the neurodiverse needs of the children, so stakeholder engagement and consultation from the very start of the project was a must. Day to day practicalities for staff and potential obstacles for pupils needed to be considered by everyone involved in the build.

SEN schools are complex environments, so there is no room for error. The needs of every individual pupil had to be taken into account and an alignment of vision was necessary from all parties involved.

The solutions

Early stakeholder engagement and ongoing dialogue with our client enabled us to deliver the complex requirements of this build project. The McPhillips project team had a unified vision which helped us to work collaboratively with the client, staff and pupils throughout the project.

Having this joined up approach with the client gave us a better understanding of the needs of the end users – pupils, staff and parents/carers, so that buildings, facilities and outdoor areas could be built in accordance with those needs.

Works of this scale inevitably cause some disruption, but this was kept to a minimum wherever possible, in order to maintain the wellbeing of pupils and staff.

The result

The project was completed on time and on budget. Feedback from the client, staff, pupils and parents has been overwhelmingly positive.

The new secondary school was linked to the existing primary school with a new glazed corridor and additional classrooms, which were completed ahead of the main programme to allow the client to take early possession of these areas for the new academic year.

McPhillips’ Project Manager David Morgan commented…

“ Projects of this nature are always complex, as the needs of the client are very specific and bespoke. The works needed to be completed on time, as the start of the new academic year is fixed and can’t be changed. We worked collaboratively with The Witherslack Group at every stage of the project, so that we could identify potential problems early on, work together to find solutions and minimise disruption to the day-to-day operation of the school. “

Testimonials

"The site manager and assistant site manger did a fantastic job on the scheme, they were friendly, reliable, professional and their experience on managing the subcontract labour and technical ability was second to none."

Ian Lowe, BIT Group

"McPhillips (Wellington) Ltd undertook the construction of a recent public realm scheme in Shrewsbury, they provided traffic and pedestrian management to manage the construction of the scheme in a busy urban area, with high pedestrian footfall. All civils and re-paving works were completed to a high standard and in a tidy, productive and efficient manner. They were able to engage with Shrewsbury BID to aid in the planning of events, as well as liaising with local businesses and shops to minimise impact. They worked effectively and efficiently to complete works to the accepted programme and administered the contract well using web based management systems. There were good working relationships between all parties, and their on-site management of personnel was excellent."

Scott Hughes, WSP

"McPhillips were good to work with and they were always keen to resolve any issues or complications which obviously occur on such a large and complex project, probably the biggest S278 Worcestershire has ever dealt with."

Sally Everest, Worcestershire County Council

"Having been the first time we have used McPhillips as a main contractor we have been impressed at the ease at which we have developed a good working relationship to enable the project to be maintained to timeline and budget incorporating both additional work items and some more unusual occurrences on-site."

Richard Allen, London & Cambridge Properties

"We will most certainly use McPhillips again and we will have no hesitation in recommending you to other schools and colleges."

Sheena Hodgson, The Westwood Academy

"The site delivery team were extremely helpful. The site was clearly always orderly, fully resourced and well managed throughout. The workmanship was of the highest quality and the project was delivered on-time and within budget providing The Wrekin Housing Trust with a facility of which we are justifiably proud. Overall WHT is more than happy with McPhillips’ performance on Oakwood and wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again in the future."

Karen Lloyd, The Wrekin Housing Trust

"I will have no hesitation in employing McPhillips on other projects and therefore look forward to working with you again; it was a pleasure working with you and your team, demonstrating a positive approach throughout the project."

Mike Steele, Birmingham City Council

"The quality of the work provided is always of a high standard and every effort is made to accommodate the needs of businesses and residents impacted by the work. With regard to project management, I found the management team and site staff to be amenable at all times. I would highly recommend McPhillips to be considered for any highway regeneration projects or similar works."

Steve Hollins, Telford & Wrekin Council

"McPhillips carried out work for Adams’ Grammar School between May and September 2013. They did so under some stringent conditions imposed by the school and performed admirably to meet significant deadlines. Their work on site was also very impressive; their site manager was most professional and worked seamlessly with our own employee when there needed to be alterations/modifications. They worked very easily around children and kept an appropriate distance from our own work. When it came closer to the deadlines they produced work at an impressive speed in order that we were able to open on time. We will certainly use them again."

Michael Barrett, Adams' Grammar School

"I can truly say that I could not wish to have worked in conjunction with a more impressive and agreeable contractor than McPhillips. Many thanks for the experience."

Peter Oughton, Dogs Trust

"We’re delighted with the work carried out by McPhillips. Thanks to their excellent building and civil engineering experience and skills we’ve been able to create an enriched environment for our dogs."

Clarissa Baldwin OBE, Dogs Trust

"We have no hesitation recommending McPhillips and look forward to the opportunity of working with them in the future."

Pam Edwards, The Wrekin Housing Trust

"McPhillips and their team were professional and efficient from tender stage through to contract completion, with a can do attitude that brought the scheme in on time and on budget within tight constraints."

Bob Nicholson, Pochin Developments

"Everyone has commented favourably on the quality of workmanship and the professional, courteous and organised approach of the men involved. As a consequence, the work was completed to a very high standard, in a very short time with the minimum of noise and disruption to residents."

Diane Peacock, Pengrove Residents Association

"McPhillips performed extremely well with a high quality of workmanship and a professional approach in dealing with the public and businesses in a very busy part of the town. I can confidently recommend McPhillips as a competent and professional contractor and since this scheme, I have worked with them on various projects and would be pleased to work with them again in the future."

Karl Farrow, Cheshire West & Chester Council

"I would have no hesitation in recommending McPhillips."

Paul Harris, Shropshire Council

"The team from McPhillips remained positive and proactive throughout, working with the Council's team to find solutions and deliver an enabled site which was fit for purpose. Their can-do attitude and pragmatic approach has been essential in delivering a successful project for the Council."

Kate Turner, Telford and Wrekin Council

"McPhillips has an excellent understanding of the client's needs and works collaboratively to achieve a quality product."

Peter Parker, Birmingham City Council

LAKESIDE SCHOOL, LIVERPOOL

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