A topping out ceremony was held last Wednesday to celebrate reaching the highest point in the construction of the new Hampton Academy in the London Borough of Richmond.
The £15 million Academy—one of two the Leadbitter Group is delivering on behalf of the London Borough of Richmond—was secured under the Partnerships for Schools (Pfs) Contractors’ Framework.
Representatives of the Academy, the Borough, the Learning Schools Trust, and educational sponsor Kunskapsskolan joined in the festivities, which included a presentation on the construction progress by Leadbitter’s Project Director Cliff Kinch and Project Manager Andrew Bowns and a speech by Academy Principal Dr Sue Demont.
Johan Röhss, a Director of Kunskapsskolan, was presented with an engraved trowel and joined Academy students in casting a small plinth on the roof to mark the milestone.
Dr Sue Demont said: “This is such an exciting moment for the community of Hampton, especially for all our current and future students. Our new building will continue the transformation of learning and achievement we are undertaking as a Learning Schools Trust Academy. I would like to thank everyone from outside the school who has been involved in Hampton Academy’s journey so far, including Johan Röhss and visitors, our architects AStudio and our contractor Leadbitter Group.”
Cliff Kinch of Leadbitter said: “This project is of great importance to the Academy and the community, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to welcome everyone on-site to see the progress that is being made and to celebrate this important milestone. Our project team is using all of Leadbitter’s considerable expertise in constructing educational facilities to deliver a state-of-the-art Academy. At the same time, we are also working closely with the Academy staff and students to turn the live construction into a learning tool that supports their curriculum.”
Cllr Paul Hodgins, Richmond Council Cabinet Member for Schools, said: "Although the Academy is not in Council control, the school does remain firmly within our local family of schools. Our officers have been working closely with the Academy to ensure the project goes smoothly, and I'd like to congratulate all involved on their work to date. I look forward to seeing the school when it is completed next year."
Leadbitter has led the design development for the Academy in conjunction with architects Astudio, sustainability consultants Hoare Lea and structural consultants AKT11.
The Academy reflects the ethos of the educational sponsor, Kunskapsskolan, with a collegiate structure promoting small group cohesion and a step-based approach to learning that focuses on individual development rather than age-based progression.
The campus is modelled on a ‘one academy, three colleges’ philosophy—focused around a central ‘heart space’ to offer a welcoming and inclusive Academy and community hub. High levels of passive supervision are provided by clear sightlines and glazed partitions internally, and the arrangement of locker and toilet facilities ensures that students feel safe and secure in their learning environment.
Hampton Academy provides a 60 per cent new build and 40 per cent refurbishment solution for the replacement of Hampton Community College, with sympathetic remodelling of the existing Learning Resources Centre and re-use of existing structures for the upper college.
The scheme is being delivered on a live operational campus and was developed with an intense focus on highly-detailed phasing plans and 'breaklines' within the existing school to ensure that educational continuity is maintained throughout and that expenditure on temporary facilities has been minimised and ploughed back into the scheme to enhance the permanent educational assets.
Leadbitter is also currently constructing the £20 million Twickenham Academy for the London Borough of Richmond, which was secured under the PfS Contractors’ Framework at the same time as Hampton Academy. The company is also delivering Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy in Edmonton, which was secured under the Framework’s accelerated procurement process.
