Delivering better learning outcomes in five months
The Kettering Science
Academy took over from the Ise Community Colleague and the Henry
Gotch Primary School, specialising in Science, Business and
Enterprise, and opened in September 2009.
The Academy is an independent state school, offering the highest
standard of education to young people in the Kettering area. It has
1770 places between the ages of 5-18 years old, this includes: a 30
place nursery; a two form entry primary school for 5-11 year olds;
1100 places for 11-16 year olds; and 250 sixth form places.
New buildings will be delivered through Partnership for Schools
(PfS) through the National Framework. Moving in is programmed to
take place on or before September 2013.
EC Harris was appointed by the DCSF and the Sponsor, the Brooke
Weston Academy Trust, to manage the delivery of the new Academy -
this involved co-ordinating all activities and liaising with
stakeholders including the local authority, Northampton County
Council.
The key challenge for the project was to deliver this all-age
academy in an accelerated programme of just five months.
Creating solutions
A full time dedicated and experienced Project Manager was
assigned to the project, he was on site for three days a week to
give maximum visibility to the project and allowing for any issues
or concerns to be addressed as soon as possible.
The multi sponsor had already opened two academies, making it
essential for EC Harris to be clear from the outset which elements
of school organisation and policies the Brooke Weston Trust would
be bringing with them to this Academy.
The firm took a pragmatic approach to stakeholder engagement
management to build upon what the sponsor had already achieved and
ensure there was consistency throughout the project.
The project team was able to draw from a wide range of technical
experts within EC Harris and from its managed community, including
Stakeholder Engagement Management, Legal and Governance, and
ICT.
Adding value
EC Harris delivered the academy programme within the challenging
timescale. The firm was also able to bring in additional support to
survey the kitchen and catering areas to ensure that the Sponsor
achieved the maximum impact from the Environmental Quick Wins.
The project passed all areas of Pre-Opening OFSTED despite the
buildings being very run down. Hundreds of young people in the
Kettering area are now benefiting from learning advantages the
Kettering Science Academy has to offer. The academy will also help
catalyse the wider regeneration of the local area.
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