Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties business has held a ground-breaking ceremony at the Buntingford First School, marking an exciting milestone for Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and Scholars Education Trust in delivering the region’s first carbon neutral school.
Attendees were shown around the site before ground was broken with a golden shovel, with speeches from Terry Douris, Executive Member for Education at HCC, Matthew Gauthier, Deputy CEO at the Scholar’s Education Trust, and David Rowsell, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction in the Northern Home Counties.
Other attendees included the Mayor of Buntingford Duncan Wallace and key stakeholders from Buntingford First School, HCC, Morgan Sindall Construction and the Scholar’s Education Trust.
Scheduled to open in 2023, Buntingford First School will be built in line with the Hertfordshire County Council’s sustainability strategy and ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030. It will utilise a Passivhaus design which will improve the school’s air quality, reduce carbon emissions and lower its energy running costs.
As part of the highly sustainable project, over 300 solar panels, triple-glazing windows and air-source heat pumps will be installed. The new school will also include a rooftop outdoor classroom and numerous play areas. In addition, all the teaching spaces in the school will face north, avoiding south-facing windows that cause rooms to over-heat, while social areas such as the school dining halls and common rooms will face south.
The new 330-pupil school, which has ten classrooms and incorporates a nursery, will be built on the former Sainsbury’s depot site, adjoining the Bury Football Club who will share the site with the new School. When complete, it will provide additional school places for Buntingford and its new communities.
Prospective parents can apply for reception places for September 2023 at Buntingford First School through the county council’s admissions website at Buntingford First School. In this, its first year of opening, Buntingford First School, has a separate application process for Reception admissions and the school can therefore be a “fifth preference” in addition to the four preferences expressed on the usual county council application form.
David Rowsell, Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties area director, said: “As a local resident, it’s fantastic to see the investment here in Buntingford. It is the energy and passion of the younger generation which makes projects like this so vital. We are thrilled to be on site here and are looking forward to providing the local community with a first-class education facility.”
Cllr Terry Douris, Executive Member for Education at Hertfordshire County Council said: “It has been a privilege to be here to watch as this school rises from the ground. Four years ago, when this scheme was first discussed, it was ground-breaking to be looking at a school that was not only Passivhaus standard, but also net zero in both construction and operation.
“This project demonstrates to the wider world our commitment to saving the planet and how we must work going forwards.”
Matt Gauthier, Executive Headteacher at Buntingford First School said: “A key driver for us is providing education for a changing world and Buntingford First School embodies this ethos. Another driving force for us is to provide first class education for the children of Buntingford, something we have every confidence this school will support.”
Cllr Duncan Wallace, Mayor of Buntingford, said: “Thank you to Hertfordshire County Council for this significant investment in our town. Investing in the next generation is vital to them fulfilling their potential.”
