BAM completes steel frame at £30m Friesland School as three Midlands rebuilds progress

BAM UK & Ireland has completed the structural steel frame of a £30m net-zero carbon building at Friesland School in Sandiacre, Derbyshire, one of three Midlands school rebuilds it is delivering for the Department for Education (DfE).

The contractor said on 23 October that the Friesland scheme, together with work at Perryfields Academy in the West Midlands and the Royal School Wolverhampton, would benefit about 4,000 pupils. All three are being delivered through the DfE's School Rebuilding Programme and replace ageing facilities.

The schemes span primary, secondary, sixth-form and boarding education, BAM said, and include new classrooms, specialist teaching spaces, sports facilities and outdoor learning areas.

Mark Gibson, DfE Director at BAM UK & Ireland, said: "These projects represent a significant investment in education across the Midlands, creating modern, sustainable and inclusive environments for thousands of pupils, staff and local communities."

Friesland School

The new Friesland building is about 5,500m² and is due to open for the 2027 academic year, according to BAM. It will house ICT, art and humanities classrooms, a sports hall, changing facilities, a kitchen, dining area and assembly hall. The sports hall will be open for community use.

BAM said the building would serve more than 1,300 students. Erewash Borough Council, whose planning committee approved the scheme, described it as a secondary school for 1,280 pupils.

The council said the DfE brief required the new building to achieve net zero carbon emissions in operation. The replacement main block rises to three storeys with rooftop grass and solar arrays, and the campus will have 31 classrooms and teaching areas.

Three existing buildings are being kept: the science and technology block, the sixth form block and the performing arts block. The former Friesland Leisure Centre, which shares the site, is being demolished as part of the scheme.

Cllr Mark Alfrey, Erewash's Lead Member for Environment, called it "a transformative development project designed to support both education and sustainability."

Perryfields Academy

At Perryfields Academy, Sandwell Council unanimously approved plans for the rebuild, according to architect ADP Architecture, which has designed a three-storey teaching block with an integrated sports hall.

ADP said the project involves the DfE and Broadleaf Partnership Trust, is being built by BAM Construction and is scheduled to open in 2029. Demolition of the existing ageing temporary buildings had already started when the practice published its update on 25 June 2026.

Gibson described Perryfields as a "fully replanned campus".

Royal School Wolverhampton

In Wolverhampton, BAM is carrying out new-build, refurbishment and extension works for about 1,510 pupils, including 60 to 80 boarders.

The programme includes a new primary school, improved secondary teaching facilities, extensions to the sports complex and the design technology block, and refurbished boarding accommodation. The school's own build programme page lists refurbishment of the male and female dormitories among the works.

BAM said the campus would also gain new sports pitches, improved parking and external spaces, while the school's Grade II listed building would undergo refurbishment to preserve its heritage. BAM Construction publishes newsletters for the school community with updates on the build.

The programme

The School Rebuilding Programme began in 2021 and currently has 524 projects, according to the DfE. Nominations for the next round of the programme are closed, GOV.UK said in an update dated 11 June 2026.

Of BAM's three Midlands schemes, Friesland is due to open first, for the 2027 academic year, with Perryfields Academy scheduled to open in 2029.