The £69.5 million project to build seven new schools in North Swindon began in March 2005. The project involved the design, build, finance and operation of the schools, which were situated on four different sites.
Four of the schools were built on one site, known as the Learning Campus. This was designed to cater for the inclusion of both mainstream and special needs education and comprised a mainstream and a special needs secondary school, and a mainstream and special needs primary school, the latter incorporating a multi agency unit. There are three other mainstream schools on separate sites - a secondary (Hreod Parkway) and two primary schools, Orchid Vale and Moredon.
There were many unusual environmental aspects to this project, not least at Hreod Parkway, a specialist technology school, which has a bio-dome covering the central courtyard and one of the UK's largest badger sets adjoining the site. At Uplands, the special needs secondary school, the pupils have been provided with a horticultural area which is envisaged, will assist in providing life skills to the students.
As well as Avenance, key supply chain members were John Laing Integrated Services who supply both hard and soft facilities management including cleaning, catering, premises management and and grounds maintenance and British Thornton who supplied much of the furniture fixings and equipment. The concession will run for 25 years in total.
