Arnold Hill Spencer Academy, Wyken Croft Primary School, Richard Lee Primary School and St Thomas More Primary School

Coventry was one of the first local authorities to be part of the government’s Priority School Building Programme (PSBP).  Run by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), Wates were appointed in January 2013 to deliver six primary schools in a contract worth £36 million.

Programme (PSBP). Run by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), Wates were appointed in January 2013 to deliver six primary schools in a contract worth £36 million.

IID Architects were appointed by Wates to work with them on three of the schools – Wyken Croft Primary School, Richard Lee Primary School and St. Thomas More Primary School. IID collaborated with Wates in using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and helped establish a protocol for use on future projects.

IID went on to work with Wates on a rebuild of a secondary school, Arnold Hill Spencer Academy. The £14 million pound building is a three-storey superblock incorporating all major teaching spaces wrapped around a four-court sports hall and 380 person capacity theatre. It was constructed using the Wates ADAPT system – a component-based design solution that maximises lean budgets and delivers bespoke schools. The build was completed within a demanding programme of 17 months.

“The facilities are out of this world. It’s light and airy, a truly inspiring space …… it is going to knit the school together and give it a real heart.”