Three Caledonian Modular-built schools to be demolished
The Government has confirmed that three schools built by failed offsite specialist Caledonian Modular will be demolished and rebuilt.
Secondary schools Haygrove School in Bridgwater, Somerset and Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Harlow, Essex were built by Caledonian Modular in a single £38m batched deal.
SFG’s main building was forced to close after being open to students for less than two years over concerns it could collapse in an extreme event like heavy snow or high winds.
After further checks, Haygrove School was also then told it could no longer use its main building in September after the Government discovered it had “issues with structural integrity.”
The other also built by Caledonian Modular, Buckton Fields Primary School, near Northampton, was also closed by the government and has also now been condemned.
All the schools were built under the Department for Education’s £3bn modular framework, set up in 2020 to fastrack construction and deliver better value for money.
Baroness Barran, the minister for the school system and student finance, said the department would begin the process of procuring a building contractors to demolish the sites and undertake a new build.
Two further primary schools in Cornwall only part-built as Caledonian Modular when it fell into administration in March 2022 were also completely demolished.
At the time, the buildings were condemned after construction issues were uncovered at both Launceston and Newquay primary school projects.