Students at St Philip Howard Catholic School in Barnham have a brand-new, energy-efficient teaching block, thanks to a £2.0m design and build project delivered by Sussex-based contractor Pilbeam Construction.

The school, which is rated outstanding by education watchdog OFSTED, now has a new single storey building with eight modern classrooms, two of which can be joined to form a large learning resource centre, toilets, office, meeting room and kitchen to help it meet growing demand.

The expansion comes in response to increased need for sixth form places following the national rise in the school leaving age to 18 and the West Sussex school’s continued popularity in the area.

Alan Corbett, managing director of Pilbeam Construction, said: “We’re proud to have delivered a high-quality, sustainable building that supports the school’s growth.

“Working in a live school environment always presents challenges, but our experienced team has worked on many school projects, so knows exactly how to ensure minimal disruption to daily operations in education settings.

“The school’s management team are pleased with the new building which caters perfectly to their teaching needs and enables them to meet demand for the outstanding education they provide.”

The building features low-energy air circulation and under-floor heating provided by air source heat pumps.

Solar panels have also been installed to generate electricity which feeds any surplus back into the national grid and generates income for the school.

Foul waste pipes found close to the building were diverted. Pilbeam introduced a 7,000-litre foul water pumping chamber buried alongside the building to capture the wastewater and dispose of it.

Arun and District Council Planning had expressed concerns about the high volume of rainwater due to be captured and discharged into an already stressed system.

Pilbeam’s design team combatted this by installing a 70,000-litre underground attenuation storage tank where the rainwater from the new block could be held and released slowly into drains and culverts.

The team also discovered the school’s existing power infrastructure was outdated and replaced a main distribution board during the half-term break to avoid disruption.

Throughout the build, Pilbeam maintained a secure and enclosed site, with all workers DBS-checked and logistics carefully planned to avoid student movement times.

Regular coordination with the school’s leadership ensured smooth progress.

Head teacher Tim Hulse said: “Both students and staff have been so pleased to make use of the new building, which will help us to build on our success and continue to provide an outstanding education.”

For more information please visit: https://www.pilbeamconstruction.co.uk/