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Cathedral Primary School

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John Perkins Construction created additional classroom space and improved facilities for Cathedral Primary School by refurbishing parts of the existing school and repurposing areas of the adjoining Bristol Central Library.

Working closely with the project manager Faithful+Gould and architect Studio Lime, John Perkins Construction was able to transform underused space into a staff room, PPA (Planning, Preparation and Assessment) room, classrooms, and WCs, with improved bike storage.

Since Bristol Central Library is a Grade I listed building, the JPC team was rigorous about preserving its history, using traditional building methods where needed. When it was necessary to form a new internal doorway, the existing stonework was removed piece-by-piece and carefully reinstated.

The location of the site, right in the heart of Bristol, meant working within an extremely restricted area with no parking. However, JPC was able to rise to the challenge, coordinating deliveries so they arrived outside of school critical times, and using local parking, in order to minimise the number of vehicles bringing operatives to site.

The ‘live’ nature of the school, adjacent to a public library, also called for particular sensitivity. Both the Site Manager and the Assistant Site Manager held enhanced DBS certificates. What’s more, JPC introduced an ID-tagging system, with each site operative assigned red (not DBS-checked) or green (DBS-checked), according to their DBS status, ensuring everyone knew a red tag wearer should be escorted by a green tag wearer at all times.

This, in addition to regular, close liaison with school staff, ensured the project ran smoothly and safely. Now that the refurbishment is complete, the staff are thrilled with their new staff room, and the students are benefitting from much-needed extra space to learn.