Milestone reached at steel-framed Surrey school

Pupils, staff and the construction team at Hopescourt School have celebrated the completion of the main frame erection with a steel beam signing event.

Hopescourt School in Walton-on-Thames, procured via the Southern Construction Framework is being constructed by Willmott Dixon, with Snashall Steel Fabrications fabricating, supplying and erecting the steelwork.

The completed school will cater for up to 200 autistic pupils and children with communication and interaction needs when it reaches capacity in 2029.

Hopescourt School will also be Surrey’s first net zero carbon in operation (NZiO), specialist free school. As such, it is key to the delivery of Surrey’s Inclusion and Additional Needs Partnership Strategy 2023-2026, aiming to improve inclusion and outcomes for children.

Councillor Clare Curran, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning at Surrey County Council, said: “I am delighted to join Hopescourt School pupils and staff to celebrate this key milestone in the construction of their new school. It’s fantastic to see the building take shape with the steel frame in place.

Alex Burrows, Headteacher of Hopescourt School, added: “It was an honour to attend the steel signing alongside our brilliant school council. I feel incredibly proud of the work that our staff undertake every day to meet the needs of our pupils, and it is exciting to see the structure of our new school starting to take shape. We are building a school for the future and our whole community are really looking forward to seeing the end result.”