Hobson & Porter upgrades Priory Primary School and Children’s Centre in time for new school term

The school's smart new entrance following the refurbishment programme.

HULL-BASED construction firm Hobson & Porter has completed a scheme to provide improved facilities at Priory Primary School and Children’s Centre, and facilitate a greater intake of pupils.

The project has provided a refurbished building for juniors, while infants will continue to occupy the existing school building. The new junior building, which contains modern classrooms, a refurbished canteen, new corridors, kitchens and toilets, was completed last December, and pupils and staff were moved in prior to the Christmas break.

Outside the new junior block, a new entrance and playground have been constructed, with green areas for flowers and shrubs to grow. The works involved the demolition of the middle leg of the existing building, which was carried out by a sub-contractor with experience and expertise in asbestos abatement.

Refurbishment to the Children’s Centre was carried out earlier this year, and included new meeting rooms to both floors, new toilets for staff and children, new kitchens, a new lift shaft and new décor throughout. To the rear of the children’s centre, the outside play area has been landscaped and a new fence has been erected.

A new staff car park was also created using a permeable reinforced surface, allowing grass to grow and drainage to occur naturally through the soil, as an environmentally-friendly and aesthetically preferable alternative to a standard concrete surface.

The scheme was completed during an extremely tight schedule, fitted around school term dates, and was handed over to Hull City Council in July 2017.

Gary Nicholls, Site Manager at Hobson & Porter, said: “The timescales for completing this project made it particularly challenging, as we were required to handover the work in anticipation of the new school term starting.

“This required significant manpower and dedication from a large team onsite at all times – at the peak of the project we had up to 80 people working onsite.

“Although this was a challenging scheme, we have enjoyed an excellent relationship with Hull City Council for many years and have provided several school refurbishments and new-builds in recent years. Our vast knowledge and experience of the education sector helped us complete the Priory Primary School and Children’s Centre works on time and it is now ready for use in time for the beginning of the new school year.”

Dave Blades, Business Development Director for Hobson & Porter, said: “This is historically an extremely busy period for us working in the education sector, and we are proud to have been involved in several high-profile school projects in the region in recent years.

“The Priory Primary School and Children’s Centre refurbishment has been a significant scheme for us and we are proud to have been part of it. The new facilities will undoubtedly improve the lives and education of its pupils and make it a wonderful learning environment.

“At Hobson & Porter we understand the importance of high-quality educational facilities and the impact they have on young people’s development, and we want to leave a lasting legacy in the regions we operate by providing the best learning facilities for future generations.”

Hobson & Porter has enjoyed an extremely busy summer period in 2017, which has seen the completion of 14 different school projects across Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire. Projects spanning Hull, Goole, Rotherham, Cleethorpes, Harrogate, Norton and York have all been completed and handed over in time for the start of the new term.