Faithful+Gould, working with contractor Morgan Sindall Construction, has completed building work on a £40m school for Southampton City Council (SCC) which will provide essential new places for children in the city, as well as deliver on social value commitments.

St Mark’s CE School was previously a primary school but has been extended to create one all-through school, providing 900 new secondary places while maintaining the existing 420-place primary provision.

The St Mark’s site in Shirley, had been identified by SCC as one of the only sites available for further development within the central city catchment area. Faithful+Gould provided full multi-disciplinary services on the £38.9m project, which opened in time for the start of the new term.

In addition to the building work, commitments were also agreed at the start of the project which have been calculated to total social value benefits worth £229m over the whole life cycle of the project. 

During the construction phase these have included using local suppliers to provide economic benefit to the area, creating local jobs, investment in skills and training, employing apprentices, and where possible supporting local schools by promoting work experience placements.

Tom Balme, regional director at Faithful+Gould, said: “We’re very pleased to see the building works complete in time for the new school term. This has been a truly collaborative approach with Southampton City Council and Morgan Sindall Construction from day one, to optimise the delivery of social value throughout the whole life cycle of the project.

“We identified at early stages that aligning our social value objectives with the design team, which incorporated commitments by local suppliers, as well as Morgan Sindall and their supply chain, would maximise the benefit to the people with the greatest needs.

“This approach has ensured that the school, the local community and the city council have all benefited from delivery of social value on this project. Most importantly it creates a lasting legacy for the school, especially the children, which will have a positive impact on their educational needs.”

Clifford Kinch, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We’re very proud to play a part in this development and the whole team and our supply chain have worked incredibly hard to deliver this exciting landmark.

“Creating inspiring places for people to learn which will have a positive impact and shape towns is a key driver for us. The new all-through school will be important for the children of Southampton and generations to come as it provides a state-of-the-art learning environment for pupils as they transition through year groups in one place. We look forward to its opening for the new term.”

Faithful+Gould has been able to calculate the total value of social value benefit from the project will be £229m over the next 25 years, or, for every £1 being spent, £1.88 goes back to the local community.

Peter Masonbrook, head of social value at Faithful+Gould, adds: “This is one of the first projects for Southampton City Council where the social value outcomes have been embedded from the start in the design, right through the RIBA stages and into delivery.

“We have looked at a whole range of criteria to calculate the financial benefits of social value on this project, from the cost saved going through Pagabo’s Professional Services Framework, and efficiencies through the supply chain to the investment in local jobs and improvement in health and wellbeing and community support.

“What we have demonstrated collectively is that the importance of embedding social value into the heart of a project from day one cannot be understated, and will result in better buildings and improvements for the communities they serve for generations.”

The appointment of both contractor and consultant was enabled through Pagabo’s Major Works and Professional Services frameworks.

Jonathan Parker, head of construction at Pagabo, said: “Having supported Southampton City Council with the appointment of Faithful+Gould and Morgan Sindall, we’re delighted to see this project reaching completion, and with such significant social value outcomes.

“The importance of the scheme to the local community was clear to see from the outset; everyone at Pagabo is delighted to have played our part in making this a reality.”