A heartfelt thank you from the children of Catterick

Pupils at the new Cambrai Primary School in Catterick have expressed thanks to the ISG team for its hard work in completing the school project during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Delivered by ISG’s UK Construction team in the North East, as part of the Department for Education framework, teachers and pupils have really taken the team to their hearts. 

The engagement with the school was led by ISG’s project manager, Steve Laughton – gold medal winner for Primary Education at the CIOB’s Construction Manager of the Year Awards in 2019 – who helped build strong relationships from the start. 

Steve was keen to ensure the pupils were involved in the project as it developed.

As the pupils watched their new school come to life next to their temporary classrooms, Steve and the team regularly took them around the site, involving them in the build of their outdoor furniture and talking them through the construction process.

Most recently, the team arranged the burying of a time capsule filled with messages from the pupils for future generations to discover.

As the pupils could not be there on completion of the project, they drew pictures at home instead to say thank you, which were sent by Mark Dent, executive headteacher, with a cover note.

"A big THANK YOU from the boys and girls at Cambrai Primary School for making the perfect school for us,” it read. “You will always be part of our #TeamCambrai family – please come and see us when we are all moved in. We could not have asked for a better team – or a better ‘Steve’."

The keys to the new school have now been handed over, and once the teachers and pupils are able to move in following the lockdown, Cambrai Primary School will help shape the futures of over 400 children from the local community – many the family members of army personnel based nearby.

The new school building features a range of facilities to enhance learning including a large hall for collective events and assemblies; a dedicated space for technology, including cookery and construction activities; a separate library to encourage a love of reading; and state-of-the-art ICT facilities with top specification equipment and facilities. 

There are also generous sized classrooms, with break out spaces allocated to each year group and extensive outdoor areas, including their own school field, woodland area, sports pitch and dedicated playgrounds for all ages.

ISG’s Steve Laughton added: “We know how important this school is to the community, and we are proud to have been able to deliver the project during these challenging times. 

“It has been hard not to have the pupils and teachers coming along for their progress updates, but the expression of gratitude via their pictures really means a lot to the team.

“We will all miss them and hope that they will be very happy in their new school when the time is right.”