A major new-build redevelopment of Cranbourne Secondary School in Basingstoke is set to be delivered by GRAHAM as part of the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme, working in partnership with Hampshire County Council. The project will replace the existing buildings with a single new modern school facility on the current school site.
Located off Wessex Close in a residential part of the town, the project will replace seven existing buildings, six of which date back to the 1960s and some containing RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete), with a single new three and two-storey education campus, combining teaching spaces and sporting facilities under one roof within a 6.8-hectare site.
Early site activities began this summer, with preparatory works paving the way for the main construction programme and foundation works later in the year.
The new 10,000 sq m building will house music, art and design, and technology spaces, as well as an activity studio. A sports hall and swimming pool will be based on the ground floor.
It will also include an admin suite, spaces designed to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and general teaching spaces on the first floor, with ICT, humanities, maths and science classrooms situated on the second.
The new complex will include separate school and community entrances, creating opportunities for local sports groups to use the swimming pool and sports hall facilities. Primary schools will also be able to access the pool for swimming lessons during the school day.
New sports pitches, reconfigured staff parking and a cycle shelter to the west of the site will also be included in the rebuild. The development will incorporate sustainability measures including green roofs and solar PV canopies to improve environmental performance and support the school’s long-term operational efficiency.
The project marks the third scheme GRAHAM has been appointed to under the Department for Education’s Construction Framework 2021, following ongoing work on The Castle Rock School in Leicestershire and Oasis Academy Temple Quarter in Bristol.
Pat O’Hare, Regional Director at GRAHAM, said:
We’re pleased to be working with Hampshire County Council and the Department for Education to deliver Cranbourne Secondary School.
Projects like this are about creating places where young people can thrive. The new school has been designed to provide high-quality teaching and sports facilities that will benefit students for generations, while the sports hub will also create opportunities for the wider community to make use of the site.
We’re looking forward to working collaboratively with the project team to deliver a school that meets the needs of both students and the local community.
Councillor Juliet Henderson, Hampshire County Council’s Executive Member for Education, said:
I am delighted to see this significant investment in Cranbourne School progressing. The new school will provide modern, high-quality learning environments and excellent sports facilities that will benefit both current and future generations of pupils. Working with the Department for Education and GRAHAM, we look forward to the delivery of a school that supports educational achievement, wellbeing and inclusion, while also creating opportunities for community use. This project represents an important investment in the future of young people in Basingstoke and the wider area.
Sarah Conlon, Head Teacher at Cranbourne Secondary School, said:
We are delighted to announce the start of Cranbourne’s rebuild, a chance to create modern, new facilities that will broaden our curriculum, improve specialist spaces and technology, and, together with students, families, staff, the Department for Education, GRAHAM and Hampshire County Council, deliver lasting educational, social and environmental benefits for our whole community.