Greensted Junior School – Kitchen Extension

Key Facts:

Client Name: Greensted Junior School
Location: Basildon, Essex
Type of client: Primary Academy
Services provided by M+C: Building Surveying | Funding Application (ACMF/CIF) | Architectural Design | Procurement | Project Management
Value: £115,000
Contractor: PL Construction
M+C Lead: Lee Hatwell

Greensted Junior School is a popular Basildon Junior School, forming a primary setting alongside the adjoining Greensted Infant School and Nursery. As part of Munday + Cramer’s long-term activities with the school (see our case study for the school’s estate plan), the Government’s Universal Infant Free School Meal’s (UIFSM) presented a significant challenge for the school’s existing kitchen facility.

The junior school’s kitchen provided hot meals for the neighbouring infant school, creating an extra 75 meals for the catering staff, over an above the school’s own provision. The introduction of UIFSM posed the likelihood of the catering output suffering a 54% increase following the provision of the additional meals. This level of increase was deemed unsustainable within the existing facilities, with a detailed options appraisal highlighting either the creation of a new kitchen facility within the infant’s school, or a kitchen extension within the existing facility.

This options appraisal and ultimately a feasibility study in to the cost implications of the various options focused the school towards creating the kitchen extension to the existing facilities, enabling the junior school to continue its contracted services for the infant school.

A detailed bid for funding was developed using the evidence gathered regarding the usage of the kitchen, the conditions and the wider significance of the required work, and was submitted to the EFA as part of the ACMF scheme (now CIF). The full amount was successfully obtained, with works starting on-site just two months later; having been fully tendered as part of the bid development process.

 Whilst a tight time-frame, the works were delivered on-programme and completed by the October half-term. Works were carefully coordinated to ensure minimal impact to the kitchen’s busy operation.