Maple Tree Lower School

Anne McCormick, Headteacher of Maple Tree Lower was ‘delighted’ with her new school and ‘the magnificent job’ done by Terrapin in building it. The total project, including all the necessary infrastructure, car parking, entrance gates, playgrounds and playing fields took just 26 weeks, allowing children of a new housing development to start their schooling at the beginning of the autumn term.

Located in Sandy, Bedfordshire, the complete new school project was won by Terrapin in an open tender with 5 other contractors. The scheme, designed and administered by Mouchel Property Services, the lead consultants, in partnership with Bedfordshire County Council, included six classrooms positioned around an internal courtyard, together with a combined nursery unit with two classrooms and external play areas.

Four of the classrooms have acoustic separating partitions which can be opened to form large teaching or activity areas. All classrooms have storage rooms and external doors to the outside playgrounds which are contained with timber fencing.

An additional classroom has a dedicated information technology facility and is equipped with 15 computer workstations to give early experience in this important skill. Adjacent to this room is the courtyard with an attractive water feature.

There is a large, multi–purpose assembly hall provided with natural lighting from a central glazed lantern roof. The hall is principally used for physical education and dining facilities. It incorporates a storage area for the sports equipment and has an adjacent kitchen for the preparation and serving of school meals.

To complete the facilities for the school, there is a group room and library next to the main hall. This has access to the hall via the rear of the stage allowing the group room to be used for assembling the cast of plays and other events.

The school buildings are based on a steel framed, element–build system that helped to achieve the client’s early completion date.

The completed school provides a high level of insulation and therefore low heating costs, is light and airy and will require little maintenance.

Anne McCormick said, “I am delighted with my new school which was necessary to accommodate children from a new housing development; the existing local schools being unable to maintain the government’s requirement of no more than 30 pupils per class. I think Terrapin has done a magnificent job and look forward to many happy years here.”

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