BAM’s Kent and Sussex school projects: delivery phasing and value for project teams
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
BAM UK & Ireland has started construction on a consolidated single campus for Steyning Grammar School in West Sussex, comprising four new buildings, a multi-use games area and an all-weather pitch, with phased handover running through to 2030 to keep the existing school operational. In Kent, BAM will deliver a new two-storey SEND school for 444 pupils aged four to 19, including therapy, life-skills spaces and upgraded external access, parking and play areas. The two Department for Education schemes target £47m in Social, Local and Economic Value, including local hiring, new apprenticeships and over 800 hours of curriculum support via T-Level and work-experience placements.
Technical Brief
- Construction at Steyning Grammar School commenced on 26 October under an approved planning consent.
- Four new buildings plus external sports facilities are sequenced to allow continuous occupation of existing sites.
- Campus architecture is configured to sit discreetly within the South Downs landscape, constraining massing and elevations.
- The Kent SEND scheme is a two-storey build, driving compact footprint and reduced circulation distances.
- SEND provision includes dedicated therapy and life-skills spaces, implying enhanced acoustic, safeguarding and M&E requirements.
- External works in Kent include reconfigured access and parking, affecting highway interfaces and drainage layouts.
- Both live-environment builds require construction logistics and phasing plans that segregate pupils from plant and haul routes.
- Combined Social, Local and Economic Value is £47m, equating to a stated 35% return on investment.
- Over 800 hours of T-Level and work-experience support are programmed, influencing site supervision and induction planning.
Our Take
BAM UK & Ireland’s appointment by the Department for Education in Kent and Sussex sits alongside its recent delivery of the £88m Passivhaus-designed Caledonia High School in Fife, signalling that DfE is tapping a contractor with current UK experience in low-energy education estates rather than generalist building firms.
With capacity for 444 SEND pupils aged 4–19 in West Sussex, this scheme positions BAM as a go-to contractor for complex, inclusive education facilities in the South East, which is notable given the region’s acute shortfall in specialist places and the DfE’s push to consolidate provision on fewer, higher-performing campuses by 2030.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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