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Surrey developers win £11m Newcastle High School for Girls construction contract

The Girls’ Day School Trust has awarded an £11m contract to Surrey-headquartered Wates Construction to remodel the school’s Victorian buildings at Tankerville Terrace and construct a new 3,625 sq m three-storey school building.

The development follows the merger of Central Newcastle High School and Church High School to create Newcastle High School for Girls.

The new extension, designed by architects Ellis Williams, will include a multi-purpose assembly hall, dining room, fitness suite, state of the art science labs and additional classroom spaces.

The project will also include landscaping of the whole site. Work is due to commence this month, with completion scheduled for summer 2016.

Wates’ appointment to the project follows the contractor’s announcement that it intends to expand into new markets in Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, targeting projects across the commercial, manufacturing and education sectors. This prestigious project is the first win in the contractor’s regional growth strategy.

The work will also see Wates grow its relationship with the Girls’ Day School Trust, which to date has included the £20m design and build of South Hampstead High School in London and Sheffield High School.

Paul Dodsworth, Business Unit Director for Wates Construction North East and Yorkshire, commented: “Our appointment to redevelop Newcastle High School for Girls is a significant landmark in our growth plans for the business and reflects our excellent reputation in the education sector.

“Wates has delivered over 40,000 school places in the past three years, which has given us a wealth of experience in addressing the individual curriculum needs of each school whilst ensuring that minimal disruption is caused during construction.”

Hilary French, Headmistress at Newcastle High School for Girls GDST, added: “The merger of Central Newcastle High School and Church High School for Girls has provided the opportunity to create a superb new senior school for Newcastle High School for Girls.

“The development of the previous Church High site at Tankerville Terrace will enable us to create the very best learning environment for girls and support our vision for girls’ education in the 21st century. We were impressed by Wates’ professionalism and their track record of success on other GDST projects and are looking forward to working with them.”

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