ISG secures £32 million Bishop's Stortford school project

The £32 million Avanti Grange Secondary School will provide 1,200 pupil places and serve the new Stortford Fields and St Michael’s Hurst communities, across a large 11.4-hectare site that straddles either side of the A120. 

The scheme, procured via the Pagabo capital works framework, sees ISG construct a contemporary-designed, two-storey concrete frame structure with brick façade. The southern zone of the split site development features the main school campus, which has a linear form and incorporates a central full height glazed spine to link classroom, break out, and communal spaces. 

The school boasts a large sports hall and a floodlit multi use games area (MUGA), alongside car parking and drop off areas. A large attenuation swale, or pond structure, will be formed to provide a natural drainage solution and to enhance biodiversity at the site. A roof-mounted photo voltaic array will provide the school with emission free energy, alongside a range of other measures, including high-specification building materials and triple glazed windows to reduce the building’s environmental impact.

To access the northern campus zone, ISG will construct a new 30m span steel pedestrian link bridge across the A120. The northern site will accommodate five grass sports pitches across three large terraced areas. A carefully planned cut and fill exercise to level the undulating terrain sees all material retained on site and used to form the terraces for the new pitches. 

Richard Skone, regional director for ISG, commented: “The scale and logistical complexity of the new Avanti Grange Secondary School project really marks this out as a keynote regional scheme that will have a positive legacy for the new communities it serves for many generations. The school represents a significant investment in much needed educational facilities for this thriving part of Bishop's Stortford, and the use of the Pagabo framework has maximised procurement efficiencies to bring this important project to site quickly, with expectations that the doors will open for Avanti Grange students in September 2023.” 

Cllr Terry Douris, Cabinet Member for Education, Libraries and Life-long Learning at Hertfordshire County Council said: “We are delighted that construction work has now begun on the Avanti Grange Secondary School, which is one of the three new schools in this important development area.

“They will join the existing family of schools in Bishop's Stortford to provide a first-class education for young people, which will be of great benefit and support to them both today and in the future.

“This state of the art and sustainable school will cater for 180 students from September 2023. However, the school is opening temporarily on the site of Avanti Meadows Primary School in September 2022, with spaces for 120 children.

“Our thanks go to all our partners involved in helping us to create well-designed communities with a good balance of homes, schools, services and amenities, through sustainable and responsible growth.”