THE CONSTRUCTION of a new 420-place school in Hailsham has been named ‘project of the year’ at a national awards ceremony.

Development of Hailsham Community College Primary Academy, a collaboration between East Sussex County Council and construction company Morgan Sindall Construction, won the category for ‘Building project of the Year under £10 million’ in the Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards 2020.

The scheme was finished 11 weeks ahead of schedule allowing the first cohort of Reception children to move into the new school, part of Hailsham Community College Academy Trust, in September 2019.

The project won praise from a judging panel for its “excellent levels of collaboration and teamwork” with the client, end-user, supply chain and all stakeholders at every stage.

Cllr Nick Bennett, the county council’s lead member for resources said: “This award is testament to the success of the project, and I would like to thank all of those involved.

“We get very few opportunities to invest in completely new schools and, with the number of children in Hailsham increasing due to housing development, it was extremely important that we got this project absolutely right.”

As well as the successful team working, judges were also impressed that the project was completed early, under the approved cost and with its construction generating low CO2 emissions and reduced levels of waste.

Steve Sear, senior project manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “It’s a wonderful achievement for the entire team to receive this acknowledgement for their work in delivering Hailsham Community College Primary Academy.

“As a business, we pride ourselves on harnessing close and collaborative relationships that allow us to achieve the best results and thanks to the commitment of everyone involved, we were able to deliver a prized new community asset ahead of schedule, which will leave a long-lasting and positive impact for many years to come.”

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