Work starts at £12m Loughborough school

Willmott Dixon has begun construction of Garendon Primary School for Leicestershire County Council in west Loughborough, the first to be delivered to a standardised school design created specifically for the council by the contractor.

Planning permission for the 420-place school, set to become part of a 3,200 home urban extension to the west of Loughborough, was granted in April.

Wilmott Dixon says the design method for Garendon will utilise an iterative approach, which is designed to cut design times and costs by repeating and refining a standard model across successive schools.

Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We have worked with Leicestershire County Council for two decades, and Garendon is the first school we are building to the standardised design we created specifically for the council.

“That design lets each new school start from what we learned on the last one, taking time and cost out of the process, which matters when demand for places in areas like west Loughborough is rising as fast as it is. Garendon will give 420 children a modern place to learn, and gives the council a repeatable model it can use again as the county grows.”

The steel-framed school was procured via the Major Construction Works Framework managed by Pagabo on behalf of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

Garendon Primary School is planned to be ready in time for a September 2027 opening.

Cllr Charles Pugsley, cabinet member for children and families at Leicestershire County Council, said: “We have a growing county and our priority is making sure that new schools in Leicestershire are put in the right place.

“The start of work on Garendon Primary School by Willmott Dixon is a major milestone for this new community, and we’re looking forward to the school welcoming students.”