The £97m NPV project for two 1,500 place secondary schools, The Radclyffe and Failsworth, was handed over in February 2008 and provides state-of-the-art facilities for Oldham, designed to meet both the current and future needs of the schools and the wider communities. The operational period of the project is 25 years.
Radclyffe School was awarded the “Best Designed Project” in the Public Private Finance Awards 2009 and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Better Public Buildings Awards in the same year. It was also awarded the LABC Award 2009 for Best Educational Building in the North West.
The designs feature large multi-function internal/external ‘streets’, a variety of teaching and learning environments and the inherent flexibility to meet the challenging curricular needs in coming years.
Both schools complement the Borough’s leisure facilities on adjacent sites and are significant landmarks in the Borough.
Radclyffe head teacher Hardial Hayer said that the school aimed to be the best in the country, adding that “It looked good on paper but the real thing is absolutely stunning and beyond our wildest dreams. It truly is a school of the future here today”.
Kajima Partnerships, in conjunction with its long-standing joint venture partner HICL, acquired a 100% interest in the project in May 2011.
CLIENT
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
EQUITY SHAREHOLDERS
Kajima Partnerships Limited / Infrastructure Investment Holdings Limited
ARCHITECT
Architects Co-Partnership
CONTRACTOR
Kier Regional (Kier North West, Kier Northern and Kier Build)
FACILITIES MANAGER
Kier Managed Services
SIZE
28,503 m2
STATUS
Operational from February 2008