The School Rebuilding Programme

Schools of the future will be designed to prioritise nature, health, wellbeing and the environment.

The DfE’s Genzero website paints a picture of future schools as stimulating, with accessible spaces outside and civic and social centres inside, which are developed in harmony with their external surroundings.

500 schools are due to benefit from the Government’s decade-long School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), which has been running for two years and has selected 161 schools to date.

Mace, the global consultancy and construction company, is working in collaboration with the Department for Education (DfE) on the SRP, devising innovative refurbishment and remodelling solutions to benefit hundreds of schools across the country. Planning and development expertise from Carter Jonas is sought by Mace for progressing feasibility studies, local authority liaison during the pre-app process, and with dialogue with architects and school on design considerations. The planning appraisal step is seen as key part of the overall feasibility process in delivering the prgramme, as it reduces planning risk and therefore any unnecessary programme delays. It allows discussion of the DfE’s objectives for net zero carbon with local planning authorities at the very start of the in the context of financial viability.

Our London Planning team works closely with Associate Director Becky Burgess, who oversees Mace’s SRP project delivery in London and the south east of England.

Becky explains, ‘Mace is commissioned as Technical Adviser to the Department for Education.  Working as a multi-disciplinary team with our in-house design, cost and sustainability colleagues, we commence work on a project from the feasibility stage, through to procurement, construction and finally the defects liability period.’

Mace works on education projects globally and finds that around the world, clients are facing the challenges of increasing demand for sustainability. The company’s work for the School Rebuilding Programme builds on long-standing and existing expertise. 

With a depth of experience in the sector Mace helps educational providers to drive value from their capital investments by offering a full range of integrated in-house services including architectural, engineering and sustainability design services, programme and project management and cost consultancy. Mace has a long-established track record in the education sector, working with schools, colleges, local authorities and central government to deliver ‘landmarks for learning’ nationally with a strength of vision and concept that is sustainable, inherently flexible and able to change to meet future needs.

At the feasibility stage, working closely with the DfE, project teams and supply chain, Mace is helping to build the foundation that will drive good performance when the new and refurbished school buildings are completed and when they become operational.

As Mace’s website states, ‘Meeting tomorrow’s targets today, with better quality solutions at less cost – both financial and environmental - is vital for our clients’. The opportunity is for strategic change, objectively weighing up the merits of rebuild or refurbishment and in all cases, taking advantage of the benefits of renewable energy.

‘The DfE has ambitious goals when it comes to sustainability,’ says Becky. ‘Last year it published Technical Annex 2J: Sustainability as part of it’s updated Output Specification.  This new Technical Annex sets a sustainable approach to the design, construction, production and operation of educational buildings and grounds which: puts the long-term needs of the building users (all students, staff and building users) at the centre of all decisions; is future proofed against the risks of climate change as defined by UK adaptation policy i.e., higher temperatures and prolonged rainfall; creates a healthy and productive whole site setting, in response to UK’s 25- year Environment Plan including biodiversity net-gain; prioritises the application of low energy, fossil fuel free buildings which respond to climate resilience and achieve net zero carbon in operation at handover and calculates and reports on Embodied Carbon in Construction, at key stages as defined by the standards within the Net Zero Carbon Buildings: A Framework Definition, UK Green Building Council.

Consequently, the bar is set at a high level and all new school buildings must achieve net zero carbon in operation at handover.

The Technical Annex states that achieving net zero carbon in operation demands a holistic approach to design and specification, with full collaboration between all team members and disciplines. For example, projects need to follow DfE hierarchy for deploying renewable energy systems, so nothing will be designed and implemented in isolation.  

Nature-based solutions are being woven into school designs in myriad ways. Wildflower meadows, and PV plus green roofs which collect water to grow strips of planting while generating solar energy are just some examples. 

The ’s objective is to support children’s different learning styles. Positive learning environments extend beyond the buildings, so design teams are finding ways for the internal and external spaces to interact, creating transient learning spaces to boost pupil engagement. 

The success of Mace’s work to date would indicate that the Government’s overall target of 500 schools is well on track to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. And if schools can achieve this, so can the built environment more widely. Mace and the DfE’s shared goals and effective working practices are setting a good example for the industry.