East Midlands construction company, Robert Woodhead Ltd, has taken home a Gold award at this year’s Considerate Constructors Awards.
Woodhead achieved a fantastic score on its assessment of its work at High Oakham Primary School in Mansfield last year. The site team was awarded 42 out of 50, while carrying out necessary heating replacement works. The project was so highly commended by the CCS assessor, it was put forward for a national award.=
The Considerate Constructors Scheme’s National Site Awards recognise those building sites registered with the Scheme, which have raised the bar for considerate construction. Since 1999, the Scheme has been rewarding the UK’s most considerate sites for the contribution they have made towards improving the image of construction.
During the project at High Oakham, which was delivered for the ARC Partnership and funded by Nottinghamshire County Council through the empa framework, the site team spent time on top of its initial programme of works, building a woodland shelter in the school grounds, bringing a disused area of woodland back into use. Woodhead teamed up with the school, its local sub-contractors and the Woodland Trust to construct a timber sheltered learning area, surrounded by an environmental garden.
The shelter includes seating for the pupils and educational posters on the inside walls about different aspects of nature and the environment. Already a popular site for squirrels, birds and insects, the area has been transformed into a learning environment featuring insect hotels, bird and squirrel feeding areas.
Mark Maisey, Woodhead’s Team Leader for Nottinghamshire, said: “We’re delighted to have had this site recognised nationally. I’m so proud of site manager, Colin Kear and Project Coordinator, Gary Nicholson, and their team for turning a simple heating replacement programme into something that had such a positive impact on the school.
“The shelter is a really good example of the type of community project we aim to deliver while we’re onsite. We know teachers and pupils have made regular use of the new learning environment, it’s great to see we’ve left a bit of a legacy.”
Once works were completed, Peter Mansfield, Head Teacher at High Oakham Primary School, praised the Woodhead team for ‘exceeding all expectations”, allowing the school to continue their day-to-day operations without any major disturbances. He added: “We are absolutely thrilled with the new learning area, which has been created in our secret garden. I have teachers fighting for the chance to do their lessons out there. This area is going to enable us to improve our outdoor learning, helping us to raise standards in many of our curriculum areas.”
Arc Partnership is a joint venture developed by Nottinghamshire County Council and Scape Group to work closely with local communities, providing value for money, treating people fairly and creating a better built environment for everyone.
Kevin Taylor, Project Manager for the Arc Partnership, said: “Arc Partnership is delighted that the exemplary work delivered by the site team of Robert Woodhead has been recognised again by the Considerate Constructors Scheme.
“Carrying out building work in schools, without disrupting pupil education and maintaining the safety of all is a test for any contractor. To deliver this successfully – with the genuine appreciation of the school – is a credit to the site team, particularly Colin Kear, and is another example of the customer service ethos embedded across the Woodhead site teams.”
Woodhead also took Bronze at the Considerate Constructors Awards for the former Morley school site in St Ann’s, Nottingham, which has been turned into council homes for Nottingham families on behalf of Nottingham City Homes and Nottingham City Council. Its project for the RSPB, in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council,s building the brand new £5m Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre, was also commended with a Bronze award, for its Phase One works.
