EARLY YEARS
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
SEND SCHOOLS
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
FURTHER EDUCATION
HIGHER EDUCATION
0 to Stage 4 in > 6 months
Spec21 DfE advisors
8 NZC CF21 compliant schemes
50+ new school builds in team
EDUCATION ESTATES 2024
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OUR CLIENTS IN EDUCATION INCLUDE
RIDGE TEAMS:
BUDGETS AND FUNDING
PEOPLE'S NEEDS
NET ZERO TARGETS
PORTFOLIO
Click on any of your pressure points to learn more about how we can help
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COLLEGE SALIX FUNDING SUPPORT
Ridge supported Buckingham College Group with its successful Salix funding application for £1.85 million for the decarbonisation of its Aylesbury campus. We provided feasibility studies, options appraisals and cost estimates. Fully supporting the application process, we provided technical detail and additional documentation, and we managed the process to submission.
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WE UNLOCK FUNDING FOR GROWTH
Funding is your school's lifeblood
It enables you to provide quality education, meet environmental targets, prioritise your people and maintain critical infrastructure.
We’re experts in facilitating funding, delivering quality and optimising budgets.
However complex your financial and funding requirements, we will work together to deliver a successful conclusion. Our decades of knowledge and cross-discipline experience in partnership with schools, will help solve your complex funding and budgeting challenges.
+ Salix Funding + CIF Funding + Core Funding + Capital Funding (CIF / PSBP) + SEND Funding
Funding applications
procurement
Feasibility studies
Options appraisals
Cashflow planning
Cost management
how we add value
post-funding assessment
...ask the team about more services
Buckinghamshire College Group
£1.85 million secured
Salix funded for decarbonisation
Our architects and engineers share their knowledge and long history in your sector to design and deliver new build and refurbished facilities that unlock wellness. Every decision they make is centred on providing the most adaptable spaces, the right tools and the very best experience for your pupils, staff and school users - however complex and diverse those needs may be. Whether for mainstream or SEN school facilities, we design with future expansion and adaptability in mind.
DESIGN FOR PEOPLE
STAKEHOLDER AND USER ENGAGEMENT
ADAPTABLE SPACES
INCLUSIVITY AND ACCESSIBILITY
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
HVAC FOR COMFORT
SAFEGUARDING
PRINCES SEN PRIMARY SCHOOL
Ridge is providing multidisciplinary services, including Architecture, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Transport Planning and Principal Design, for a new SEN school in Liverpool. The Princes SEN Primary School will support and inspire children aged 4 to 11 years old with severe learning disabilities. It will have capacity for 250 pupils and provide specialist teaching and therapeutic spaces, as well as calming outside environments designed to meet sensory needs.
Liverpool City Council
WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST
Focus on your pupils, staff and visitors
Your school needs to offer an environment that provides a safe, engaging and supportive environment for all its users that fosters learning, creativity, wellbeing and community.
Decades of designing buildings with educational outcomes in mind.
Therapeutic spaces
Multidiscipline services
Our engineers, surveyors and architects provide timely solutions to the political, technical, operational and behavioural challenges that are an important part of your journey to achieve sustainable, Net Zero Carbon schools. We are experts at retrofitting and building new schools however tight the timescale. We future-proof every space, hit Net Zero targets, and ensure that energy efficiency is a top priority to reduce operational costs.
ADAPTIVE REUSE
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
WASTE HEAT TRANSFER
LOW CARBON MATERIALS
NET ZERO ROAD MAPS
CLIMATE CHANGE RISK AND RESILIENCE
SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATIONS
WE DELIVER SUSTAINABILITY WITH CERTAINTY
Achieve targets, improve wellbeing, boost peformance
Sustainability and environmental responsibility are integral to the wellbeing of your school users, necessary to meet government targets and essential for efficient performance – for new builds and existing schools.
Our long track record demonstrates the pace that we deliver compliance schemes.
CIRCULARITY
£20 million Project value
6 weeks Feasibility to Stage 3
Ridge Building Services engineers worked with architects Jestico and Whiles to deliver the Oak Academy Secondary School from Feasibility to Stage 3 in just six weeks. The £20 million project has energy efficiency and passive performance at its heart, featuring air source heat pumps, an extensive bio-solar roof and passive stack ventilation – all free from fossil fuels. This scheme was one of the earliest projects released on the DfE’s CF21 framework and delivered using the Spec21 Output Specification.
NET ZERO OAK ACADEMY SCHOOL
Department for Education
Go to ST JOHN FISHER
Go to Pinces SEN Primary School
Go to TREETOPS NET ZERO CARBON SCHOOL
Go to Net Zero Oak Academy School
Go to BROMLEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR REFURBISHMENT
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Go to Beaulieu Primary school
Go to 21 STANDARD SCHOOL
Go to LITTLE REDDINGS PRIMARY SCHOOL
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Go to CERAMICS BUILDING REFURBISHMENT
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Go to ST JOHN VIANNEY SEND SCHOOL
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Click on a project to find out more
Go to KNOWSLEY SEND PRIMARY SCHOOL
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Go to CHENEY SCHOOL
Go to ASH GREEN SCHOOL
Go to BLOXHAM SCHOOL
ST JOHN FISHER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Occupying an aging building that had become unsuitable for their needs, the St John Fisher Secondary School required a new site that would offer outstanding facilities for students, staff and the local community. Ridge supported Wates Building Services to win the DfE’s design and build contract, and carried out full Mechanical and Electrical design up to RIBA Stage 5. The new school can accommodate 900 pupils and 285 sixth formers, offering high-quality facilities including a sports pitch, chapel, gym and drama studio. The completed building achieved an EPC A rating.
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Wates Building Services
EPC A rating
WINNER DfE's design and build contract
Ridge created a Net Zero Carbon design for Pinn River School, helping them deliver energy-saving measures with the maximum impact. Using energy modelling and sustainable solutions, we incorporated fossil fuel-free heating and rooftop solar panelling. Our team provided a full range of MEP and sustainability services for the project, developing it from RIBA Stage 2 through to construction.
Pinn River School
RIBA Stage 2 through to completion
Fossil fuel-free heating and rooftop solar pannelling
Ridge helped Over Hall Community School secure ESFA funding to develop a prefabricated, contemporary and Net Zero Carbon classroom building. Its energy-efficient design features super-insulative walls and roof, roof-mounted PV panels and a combined ventilation and heat recovery system. The classrooms now inspire KS2 children to learn more about how they can save energy and embrace sustainability.
ZERO-CARBON TEACHING BLOCK
Over Hall Community School
KS2 inspired
ESFA funded
Ridge provided Cost Management services for the £4 million refurbishment of Bromley High Junior School. Supporting the design team, project manager, school stakeholders and client representatives, we kept the project on target and within scope, from budget estimates to the Final Account. The refurbishment included a new library, ICT suite, upgraded classrooms and offices, and new external areas for student enjoyment. The project is regarded as a success story by the school and the Girls’ Day School Trust.
BROMLEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR REFURBISHMENT
Girls' Day School Trust
Success story for the school and the Girls' Day School Trust
£4 million refurbishment
Ridge supported Buckingham College Group to apply for Salix funding for the decarbonisation of its Aylesbury campus. We provided feasibility studies, options appraisals and cost estimates. Our role also included full support for the application process, completing the document for the client and providing technical detail, supporting documentation and management of the process up to submission. The funding application was ultimately successful, securing £1.85 million for the project.
Ridge provided multidisciplinary services for the transformation of a former ceramics building into a vocational teaching centre for plumbing training. Our team obtained FECT funding for the scheme, putting together a feasibility study and cost plan which were submitted to the Education and Skills Funding Agency for approval. Extensive remodelling was needed to adapt the original studio space, as well as incorporating cut-off and isolation points to ensure safety for students learning about gas-fitting techniques.
CERAMICS BUILDING REFURBISHMENT
Warwickshire College Group
FECT funding obtained for scheme
Ridge is providing multidisciplinary services, including Architecture, Mechanical and Electrical, Transport Planning and Principal Design, for a new SEN school in Liverpool. The Princes SEN Primary School will support and inspire children aged four to 11 years old with severe learning disabilities. It will have capacity for 250 pupils and provide specialist teaching and therapeutic spaces, as well as calming outside environments designed to meet sensory needs.
Ridge is delivering multidisciplinary services, including Architecture, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering and Sustainability Consultancy, for the construction of a primary and secondary SEND school. St John Vianney RC School will accommodate 160 non-ambulant pupils and provide a range of specialist spaces, including calming sensory rooms, a forest school area, fitness suite, hydrotherapy pool and flexible classrooms. Boasting a bio-solar roof, the development is Net Zero Carbon.
ST JOHN VIANNEY SEND SCHOOL
Kier Construction
SEN School Primary and secondary
Civil and Structual Engineering services
Pozzoni Architecture
Ridge provided multidisciplinary services and acted as lead consultants for Treetops Special Academy. This was the DfE’s first completed Net Zero Carbon ‘Pathfinder’ project and one of the first built under the offsite Modern Methods of Construction framework. The aim was to prove the concept before it could be replicated across new build school projects. The school now provides full-time education and therapeutic behavioural support for children with Special Educational Needs and visual and learning impairment.
TREETOPS NET ZERO CARBON SCHOOL
'Pathfinder' Project for DfE
Ridge provided Building Services Engineering and Sustainability Consultancy for the development of a standardised school prototype. Sustainability was at the core of the Net Zero Carbon project, which incorporated passive design strategies and innovative lighting solutions. The school was also future-proofed for resilience to climate change. The School 21 prototype has since been rolled out successfully on a number of projects, with a high 'win' ratio.
21 STANDARD SCHOOL
Private Client
Building Services Engineering services
Sustainability Consultancy services
Thanks to our expertise in delivering Net Zero Carbon schools, Ridge was appointed to provide Building Services Engineering, Sustainability and Energy Modelling, and Climate-Based Daylight Modelling for the development of Beaulieu Primary School. The school was designed to achieve Essex County Council climate resilience targets, which included overheating assessments using a London Gatwick 2050 weather file. To achieve this, solar shading was incorporated on the south-facing façade, enabling passive solar heating during the winter while also preventing solar gains and overheating in the summer. The school building is Net Zero Carbon in Operation and fully compliant with LETI guidelines for energy efficiency and usage.
BEAULIEU PRIMARY SCHOOL
Integral (UK) Limited
LETI guidelines Fully compliant
Net Zero Carbon Deliverables
Ridge provided Building Services Engineering, Net Zero Carbon Modelling and Climate-Based Daylight Modelling for Little Reddings Primary School. The school needed to be in line with 2080 climate conditions, which project much higher temperatures year-round. We introduced an innovative passive cooling strategy that uses Phase Change Materials, providing cooling in the summer and improved heating efficiency and cost effectiveness in the winter.
LITTLE REDDINGS PRIMARY SCHOOL
2080 climate Goal
Passive cooling Innovative strategy
Ridge was engaged to provide Building Services Engineering, Net Zero Carbon Modelling and Climate-Based Daylight Modelling for the Bournemouth and Poole Further Education College project. Procured through the DfE HVB CF21 framework, the college required demolition and a new build that minimised energy use. Our team introduced a range of innovative solutions, including a heat recycling system which allows waste heat from ICT equipment to be used to heat domestic water, all electric kitchens with no equipment that burns fossil fuels and heat recovery by recirculating kitchen ventilation (reducing energy consumption by over 80%).
BOURNEMOUTH AND POOLE COLLEGE
Kier Construction Ltd – Southern
DfE HVB CF21 Framework Procurement
Heat recycling system Innovative solution
Ridge worked with BCHN Architects on this £1.5 million project to create a more bespoke, energy-efficient building for Redhill Nursery. Providing Mechanical and Electrical, Structural and Civil services, we helped to create a passive design using local climate conditions to maintain comfortable temperatures in the building, including air source heat pumps and low carbon technology. The new nursery, which achieved an 'A' rated EPC on completion, was designed and developed with the Thomas Telford Academy Trust for 40 pupils.
REDHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL
Baart Harries Newall Architects
EPC A Rating
£1.5 million Project value
Knowsley Council
Stage 2 Feasibility study
KNOWSLEY SEND PRIMARY SCHOOL
Knowsley Central School needed to increase their SEND offering to meet the growth of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Ridge provided multidisciplinary services for a Stage 2 feasibility study for the design of a new-build primary school. The design, which allowed for future expansion, featured therapy rooms, a hydrotherapy pool and classrooms with safe access to outdoor play. Our proposal provided an estimate of construction costs, an initial heating, ventilation, energy and daylighting strategy, and outlined the site constraints that could occur later in the project. We also produced a bespoke transport feasibility report for the school.
Private client
Local Flood authority requirements
DEYES HIGH SCHOOL
Ridge provided Civil and Structural Engineering services for the new-build construction of Deyes High School in Liverpool. The school offers high-tech classrooms, specialist science laboratories, a library and learning centre, art studios and a multipurpose sports and games area. The building has sustainability at its heart and is Net Zero Carbon thanks to the installation of a bio-solar roof and air source heat pumps. Drainage that met Lead Local Flood Authority requirements, alongside our careful modelling and calculations, alleviated the risk of flooding to the site.
Air source heat pumps
Asbestos management
CHENEY SCHOOL
Cheney School, a co-educational secondary in Oxford, plans to expand from eight to nine forms of entry over a five-year period. Ridge provided multidisciplinary services for the critical first stage – the replacement of a 1950s science and teaching building with a new two-storey block. We oversaw the demolition and asbestos management, the decanting into temporary accommodation and the design and delivery of a new high-quality building featuring seven science laboratories, seven classrooms and two flexible break-out spaces.
Creative Education Trust
Three science laboratories
ASH GREEN SCHOOL
Ridge was working with Creative Education Trust on a project at Ash Green School in Coventry when an existing vital teaching building suffered a structural failure. We were engaged to manage its replacement, providing Architecture, Civil and Structural Engineering, Building Services Engineering and Principal Design. The new facility features nine classrooms and three science laboratories with associated amenity spaces, alongside two IT suites, staff offices and toilets.
Nine classrooms
Energy Reduction Strategy Report
BLOXHAM SCHOOL
Ridge provided multidisciplinary services to deliver an energy reduction strategy study for Bloxham School in Oxfordshire. It was aimed at lowering the school’s operational energy costs, supporting their estate renovation plans and highlighting their positive impact on reducing carbon emissions while improving the health and wellbeing of pupils and staff. Our team produced an Energy Reduction Strategy Report that summarised the survey findings and proposed initiatives, costs and recommendations, supporting the school in their next steps for managing the estate.
