A new era of education has dawned in Houghton-le-Spring with the opening of our brand new state-of-the-art building. On 14th January 2019 lessons began in our new school, with learners returning after the Christmas break. In October 2017, BAM Construction began digging the foundations for the school on the site of the former tennis courts and orchard.Over the following months construction of the steel frame took place, with the brickwork and cladding following soon after. By June 2018 the exterior was in place, and work continued inside the new building to erect internal walls, ceilings and other fixtures and fittings.By November 2018 the top floor of the school was complete, with the remaining floors being completed soon afterwards. The new school boasts numerous new facilities including a spacious Learning Resource Centre, a large school hall equipped with the latest audio-visual technology and electrically operated bleacher seating. Each of the 49 classrooms has its own 75 inch touch-screen display which is connected to the internet for interactive teaching and learning. There are 9 fully-equipped science laboratories, bespoke food technology and DT workshops. All classrooms are spacious and designed to maximise natural light, to create the best environment, and the building uses a variety of technologies to minimise the impact on the environment, including heat recovery, specialist glazing and solar power.
Chairman of Governors at Kepier, Ken Tonge, said âwhat a fabulous school we have! With bright, airy classrooms, top quality specialist teaching areas, warm and friendly social areas, first class dining facilities and some fantastic aspects from the upper floors we have a school which will be the envy of others. âItâs no more than the learners in our area deserve. Iâm sure they will thrive in this wonderful learning environment.â Julian Roberts, Site Manager for BAM Construction, said âit has been a pleasure to build this school and I am delighted that we have been able to provide such a wonderful resource for the people of Houghtonâ Over the coming months, the former Kepier school will be demolished and the area it occupies will be landscaped. New tennis courts will be configured to replace those lost during construction of the new school. Our sports centre and facilities are unaffected by the new build and demolition, and will continue to open for use by the many sports and community organisations who benefit from our state of the art facilities. This includes the brand new 3G pitch which was completed in the Autumn of 2018. If you are the parent of a Year 5 or 6 child and would like to come and look around our new school, please contact the main office on 0191 512 8960, or email info@kepier.com
January 2019
Kepier’s fabulous new school is now only a matter of six weeks away from completion. With external work now largely completed, the fixtures and fittings internally are now the priority. The top floor of the school is largely complete, with BAM now working hard to complete the first and ground floors ready to open for our staff and learners after New Year. The building looks fantastic, and will provide a wonderful, state of the art environment for our learners when we move in come January. We hope you enjoy the photos!
November 2018
Our New School Build is continuing to progress at a rate of knots! Julian Roberts, Senior Site Manager at BAM Construction, said âthe build has progressed well over the summer period assisted by exceptional weather, we are now in the run in to completion with 16 weeks remaining. Over the school summer holidays we have completed all infrastructure works within the existing school, this will allow service integration between the existing and new school. The building envelope is nearing completion with brickwork complete and scaffold removed, external landscaping has commenced. Internally we are preparing for final decorations, floor finishes and lab furniture, this will transform the building dramatically over the next 8 weeksâ. Keep on checking our page for more photos and updates!
September 2018
Staff were able to have a tour of the new school build last week and see its progress. Whilst the progress on the exterior of the building has been clear for all to see, with the external brickwork now extending to the second floor, it is inside that the biggest transformation is visible.The interior of the school is now rapidly taking shape, with areas such as reception, main hall, dining area, classrooms and offices all formed. We hope you enjoy the photos and that they give you a taste of the new build; further pictures will be posted as things progress even further!!!
July 2018
Work continues at a brisk pace on our new school! The whole shape of the building is now visible, with cladding now covering large areas. Internally, rooms and staircases are taking shape. Earlier this week, members of the Senior Leadership Team, Governors and Local Headteachers visited the new build site to see how it was progressing. Everyone was extremely impressed with BAM’s well managed site and the construction so far. Keep on checking the website and our Facebook page for further updates!
June 2018
March 2018
Febuary 2018
Our new school is rapidly taking shape! Julian, Senior Site Manager at BAM Construction Ltd, said “progress has been good, despite the inclement weather conditions recently. The steel frame and pre-cast plank flooring is taking shape, giving a good perspective of the overall size and shape of the new school. Over the next month the steel frame will be complete, this will lead to roofing works commencing, external walls being formed and windows fitted for the start of internal works.â
A new school for Kepier.
Our new school build has now commenced, with a completion date for the build of January 2019. The project comprises of the partial demolition of the existing school buildings and the construction of a new 6,730 sq. metre building and the re-landscaping of the site.
The building and site have been carefully planned to ensure that the current school can remain fully operational throughout construction, while ensuring that there is a clear separation between the building works and operational school. The development will also provide a high-quality learning environment to support our ethos of âBelieve in Youâ.
BAM project director, Tony Fitzgerald, said: âWe sought to listen carefully and understand the requirements and aspirations for Kepier, to ensure we provide a high quality and efficient design solution to meet their needs, but also provide the ESFA with value for money. Our experience in the education sector is second to none, and BAMâs collaborative culture is always a very helpful resource when working on education buildings. The learning environment will be holistic. This means we get to engage with the people who will ultimately use the building and their communities and create opportunities for them and not just a finished building.â
Principal Nicky Cooper said “our community deserves an inspirational learning environment. We are extremely excited about the new building, which will provide us with the facilities to match the needs of a 21st century education.”
