Creating temporary classrooms for the South West Essex Community Education Trust

Formed in 2015, the South West Essex Community Education Trust (SWECET) is a multi-academy trust with a commitment to providing all students with a high-quality education that prepares them for the future.?

Our team was contracted by SWECET to provide a temporary modular classroom building for their Orsett Heath Academy, creating one of the first fire rated Containex modular school blocks in the UK. ?

About the South West Essex Community Education Trust

The trust was created by a group of like-minded schools that were united by the belief that every young person needs and deserves an education that will maximise their future life chances.??

The SWECET currently has six schools in its trust; Deneholm Primary School, Stifford Clays Primary School, Chadwell St Mary Primary School, Marshalls Park Academy, Orsett Heath Academy, and William Edwards School.?

The SWECET has had a positive impact on the schools in its trust. The trust's schools have consistently improved their academic performance, and students have reported feeling more engaged and motivated in their learning. The trust has also been praised for its commitment to inclusion and its innovative approach to education.?

The Challenge?

The SWECET was facing a major challenge. They were in the process of building a new school building for one of the schools in the trust, Orsett Heath Academy, but due to planning delays, the school would not be ready for the start of the new academic year.?

This meant that they needed to find temporary classroom space for students in years seven, eight, and nine. The trust turned to us for help in providing a modular space solution that could be delivered on time and on budget, but also able to be installed quickly and easily.?

The Solution?

The project presented a number of challenges that our engineer team had to overcome to ensure a safe school building was built in time for the new school year. The building was constructed using 42 Containex units, which were joined together to create a two-story structure. The floor loading was upgraded from 200kg/m2 to 400kg/m2 to accommodate the weight of the students and their belongings.?

The building had to meet strict fire safety requirements, which required some modifications to the standard Containex design. To ensure optimal safety for students and staff in case of an emergency, the team fitted upgraded fire-rated doors throughout the building.?

Despite being briefed as a temporary solution, the modular building has longevity and will provide the school with the space they need for students for many years to come. The school planned to build a permanent structure for classrooms, however the modular buildings would then be used for multiple extra-curricular activities, for example the building was specified to also include a covered balcony on the second floor for the viewing of rugby matches.??

Logistically, the project had a tight turnaround of a few weeks to ensure that the students had a place to learn for the start of the new academic year. The modular classroom building was delivered to the site and installed in just a few weeks. With tight timelines in mind, there was also the need to liaise closely with third-party trades on-site to ensure installation work was co-ordinated efficiently.??