Morgan Sindall Breaks Ground on £32m SEND School in Nottinghamshire

Morgan Sindall Construction has started main works on a £32m special educational needs school in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire — and the first pupils won't walk through the doors until January 2028.

The new Foxwood 2 building will expand Foxwood Academy, a school for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It will accommodate an additional 150 pupils aged between 11 and 18, serving as a secondary school expansion for the existing academy.

The site carries its own history. Foxwood 2 will rise on the grounds of the former Bramcote Park School, which suffered a major fire in September 2021 and has stood derelict for years.

Who is delivering the project?

The scheme was procured through the SCAPE Construction framework. Morgan Sindall Construction's Midlands business is delivering it on behalf of The White Hills Park Trust and Foxwood Academy. Noviun Architects designed the building, and Gleeds is handling project management.

The two-storey building will include:

• A separate adulthood preparation building to teach life skills
• A gym
• A café open to both students and the public
• Staff car parking and dedicated pick-up and drop-off spaces
• A cycle track, a soft play area and outdoor gym equipment

What does this change for Foxwood's students?

Beyond the 150 new places, the build itself becomes part of the curriculum. During construction, older Foxwood students will take part in activities and skills sessions — bricklaying among them — to gain hands-on experience and insight into the construction industry.

Richard Fielding, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction's Midlands Business, framed the project's regional significance. "Foxwood 2 will be an incredibly important resource for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities from Broxtowe and across Nottinghamshire," he said. "With ground officially broken this week, we're expecting our programme of works to continue until winter 2027, with new pupils starting in January 2028."

He added: "We are working collaboratively with the amazing team at Foxwood Academy and The White Hills Park Trust to ensure that the building delivers exactly what is needed for their students to have the best start in life."

James Macdonald, Chief Operating Officer for The White Hills Park Trust, credited the design team for a building that responds to its context. "Our Design and Build team, including Morgan Sindall, Noviun Architects and Gleeds have worked both imaginatively and creatively with us to design a new build that fits in with the local landscape and will deliver a school that meets the needs of local young people with SEND," he said.

For him, the stakes go beyond bricks and mortar. "Delivering this purpose-built special school empowers students with disabilities to thrive, learn, and succeed in environments designed just for them," Macdonald said.

With a roughly three-year construction programme ahead, Bramcote's fire-scarred site is set to trade dereliction for one of Nottinghamshire's most significant SEND investments — and a January 2028 intake that will put the design to its first real test.