Finalist |
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Category: Projects under £4m |
In a quiet Hertfordshire village, Russell Scott has given a small-scale school project a level of care and dedication that has turned him into a local hero.
The project, to build two new classrooms, made safety an exceptionally high priority. Most people at the site were between five and 11 years old, and Russell knew he had to engage with them and convince them to abide by the rules if the project was to succeed.
Russell did everything possible – and more. He led a school assembly, gave talks and ran competitions to engage the children in the process. He ensured they all knew the dangers of building sites by making safety interesting and memorable so the children knew exactly which areas were off-limits.
He kept the amount of play space lost to a minimum, restoring it to the school as soon as practicable. He erected safety fencing before the children went off on their Easter holiday to help acclimatise them to the construction environment before returning to a live site the following term. Deliveries were suspended at the start and finish of the school day and during breaks, with lorries kept in holding areas until the children were back in class.
The site itself had very limited access, and after seeing the younger nursery children running off when getting out of cars Russell decided that safety fencing alone was not going to be sufficient. So he negotiated the use of a neighbouring pub car park where school-run parents could set down and pick up their children safely.
His safety regime was wholly successful. As was his financial management. By strictly controlling costs through meticulous planning and the use of a buying club, he kept the project within budget. This freed up the contingency fund, which subsequently financed the redevelopment of the school entrance, which was inherently dangerous. He provided better parking, a zebra crossing and a speed hump, as well as a path to separate pedestrians from traffic.
And with quality also assured by Russell's hand-picking subcontractor team and regular walking of the site, the head teacher, the parents and the pupils have responded with delight to their new facilities.
