Willmott Dixon wins £24m Avon Valley School expansion in Rugby for Warwickshire County Council

Willmott Dixon has won a £24m contract from Warwickshire County Council to expand Avon Valley School & Performing Arts College in Rugby, raising its capacity from 1,100 to 1,400 pupils by April 2028.

The contractor said the work comprises a three-storey teaching block, additional curriculum space and a four-court sports hall, together with external works and infrastructure. It will also create a 20-place specialist provision for pupils with communication and interaction needs.

Willmott Dixon said the expansion responds to a shortage of Year 7 places in Rugby and to new housing in the area. The school will stay open throughout the phased construction programme.

Michelle Cotterill, director at Willmott Dixon, said: "The expansion of Avon Valley School represents a significant investment from Warwickshire County Council to address the growing demand for secondary school places."

Cllr Wayne Briggs, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Children & Families, Education and SEND, said: "Our local communities are growing, and it is vital for us as a council to support and facilitate that growth."

The council's approval

The council's Cabinet approved the Avon Valley expansion on 11 December 2025 as a 300-place scheme with a new sports hall, further curriculum space and 20 specialist resourced SEND places. Cabinet also recommended that Full Council approve the funding and add it to the Education Capital Programme.

The council's Cabinet news item put the capital cost of the scheme at £31m, against the £24m construction contract Willmott Dixon has announced. The council said much of the investment would be funded by developer contributions secured through Section 106 agreements.

A statutory consultation on the proposal ran from 13 October to 14 November 2025 and drew 63 responses, according to the council's consultation page. On the question of increasing capacity from 1,100 to 1,400 pupils, 43% of respondents agreed, 5% were neutral and 52% disagreed.

Response to capacity increase	Share of respondents
Agreed	43%
Neither agreed nor disagreed	5%
Disagreed	52%

The council's consultation page said the proposal would be implemented from autumn 2027 if approved. Willmott Dixon gives April 2028 as the construction completion date; the two sources do not say how the dates relate.

The framework

The project was procured through the Constructing West Midlands (CWM) framework. According to Willmott Dixon, CWM is a collaboration between Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Sandwell council and Acivico Limited, which operates the framework and is wholly owned by Birmingham City Council.

Willmott Dixon said it has been a CWM partner since 2011. Its earlier work under the framework includes developments at the University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick, and a programme developing three existing schools in Sandwell.

When the company secured its place on the current £2.1bn CWM framework, Roy Horsfall, framework manager at Willmott Dixon, said 80% of labour and spend on CWM projects would come from the West Midlands.

Willmott Dixon has also used the framework in Rugby before. Navigation Way, procured through the CWM Capital Works Framework for Rugby Borough Council, comprises 60 one and two-bedroom apartments, 20 maisonettes and 20 houses, with solar panels, air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points installed throughout.

Rugby Borough Council announced in May 2026 that Navigation Way had won Residential Project of the Year at the Constructing Excellence Midlands Awards West, describing Willmott Dixon as its construction partner on the scheme.

Schools pipeline

Avon Valley adds to Willmott Dixon's education workload. The company said its specialist education work includes Paddock School in Wandsworth, a purpose-built SEND school completed in 2025.

Its other recent secondary appointments include the £46m rebuild of Bramhall High School in Stockport for the Department for Education, where construction begins in October 2026 and the new building is due for completion in August 2028.