These businesses are subsidiaries of Bowmer + Kirkland and form the B+K Group
Find out more
Share project
After being appointed by the Department for Education for the design, management, and construction, plus the demolition of the old buildings at Southglade Primary School in the Bestwood Park area of Nottingham, our team has wasted no time in strengthening connections with the school’s teachers, pupils, and the wider community to deliver best-in-class social value.
To kick off the project, we have worked diligently to engage the local community by hosting a community engagement event. This event brought together local residents, past pupils, and families of current students to celebrate the school’s rich history and present the plans for the new school design. Visitors had an opportunity to browse the school’s photo archives from 1960 onwards.
Since arriving on site our team has ensured that the school’s pupils are fully engaged in the build and have collaborated with teachers to deliver various planned activities to help the youngsters gain knowledge as they watch their new school come to life.
The whole school were invited to participate in an art competition where they got creative, with he younger children illustrating their vision of their ‘dream school’ and then older children looking at the importance of health and safety on site and creating an poster to communicate it. The winning designs from each year group will be displayed on the site’s hoardings for people passing by to see.
During the summer 2025 term, the site team downed tools to provide a digger experience for the children, where groups of youngsters were given an opportunity to safely sit in a digger and learn about the controls. Pupils and teachers were also invited to sign the structural steels and a commemorative board, which will be displayed in the new school.
Our team has also been working hard in the wider community to provide work experience opportunities on the site, taking on two T-Level students studying Design, Surveying, and Planning for Construction from West Notts College and held a Continued Professional Development (CPD) session for a lecturer from the college. In addition, eight Year Six pupils from visited the Skills Academy in Nottingham to try their hand at bricklaying and other trade tasks.
Deputy Head Teacher at Southglade Primary School, Jo Rowlett said: "Throughout the project the team has worked with us so positively to plan and deliver a range including educational workshops, site visits, careers talks, art competitions and skills development opportunities for students. Our pupils have loved being part of the project and many have spoken about future careers in construction. A highlight of the project so far was the community open evening when we welcomed past pupils back to the school to say a final farewell to the old building. “The team has taken the time to fully understand our school context and the needs of the local community; supporting local food banks and providing additional funding to school to provide uniform. Bowmer + Kirkland’s donation of a mud kitchen has been a real hit with the children.”
