Highlands School is one of the first in the country to have been built under a Private Finance Initiative. The London Borough of Enfield first identified a need for a new secondary school in the late 1960s but was unable to raise enough funds to undertake such a large project, even though the community had grown significantly. However, with the introduction of PFI, the borough was given an opportunity to achieve its goal.
Working in partnership with John Laing, the local education authority (LEA) was finally able to have a fully functional new school that services the local community as well as providing the best facilities for its students. John Laing took on the responsibility of providing the finance and designed and built the facilities exactly to LEA specifications.
The £17 million, two-storey building that provides accommodation for 1,350 secondary pupils, was constructed by Laing O'Rourke in 2001. Being a community school the facilities are open to the public after school hours and the school is one of the first in London to opt out of the national curriculum for A levels and instead offers the International Baccalaureate.
John Laing Integrated Services (JLIS)has responsibility for the premises and delivers a comprehensive range of services including building services maintenance and repair, cleaning, catering and security and waste management. In addition it also delivers asset lifecycle maintenance, refurbishment and renewal.
Highlands School was completed in 2000 and has so far provided accommodation for over 1300 secondary pupils each year. The concession will run until 31 August 2025.
ESEL, John Laing andJLIS are proud to have provided operational services to the school for the past 11 years and are looking forward to continue to provide maintenance, cleaning, catering, and security and waste management for the benefit of its students and the local community for the foreseeable future.
