Bowbridge Primary School

Sustainable Buildings
David Dixon Head Teacher Bowbridge Primary School
Newark Nottinghamshire
United Kingdom
www.bowbridgeprimary.com
d.dixon@bowbridgeprimary.com

• Bowbridge Primary came
about through an
amalgamation of an Infant
and a Junior School 4
years ago 480 0n roll.
• Ex WW2-Army camp and
50’s/60’s systems built
buildings.
• Catchment 3 rd in child
poverty (Notts) and 5 th in
overall deprivation.
• Traveller & Ex-traveller
families.
• In centre of large estate
approx. 9,000 pop.
School Context

School context (cont.)
• Other part of the school is a 1950’s, 60’s & 70’s
‘CLASP’ building
• Consortium of Local Authority Special Projects was
founded in 1957 at the instigation of the then Ministry of
Education for the purpose of improving the construction
and delivery of schools
• + Sports & Arts building opened in 2004 (Lottery
funded)

Promoting the
Message of
Caring for the
Environment
through Drama
&Music

Strategy to underpin
principles of
Sustainable Living

Build Charter
The main aspects of the building will be:
• A ‘LEARNING BUILDING’ AS WELL AS A ‘BUILDING OF LEARNING’ i.e. the
way the building operates will help the school to teach EDUCATION FOR
SUSTAINABILITY linked to the schools’ plan to open an ‘ECO-CENTRE’ which will
help the community to avoid fuel poverty and which will be open for local schools to explore
aspects of sustainable life-styles and linking this approach to the National Curriculum
• linked to the schools’ desire to achieve ‘ECO-SCHOOL’ GREEN FLAG STATUS (the top
accreditation).
• The building should be constructed in such a way as TO MINIMISE ENVIRONMENTAL
DAMAGE. This will be achieved by having regard to the school Energy Policy (see separate
document) and adhering to the principles listed below:
• PROCUREMENT OF MATERIALS*
• Procuring materials from a sustainable or renewable source.
• Procuring materials which avoid excessive packaging
• Procuring materials which cause minimum damage when extracted/manufactured
• Procuring materials which have been ethically produced in terms of how the workforce who
produced it has been treated i.e. within the terms of the Human Rights Act
• TRAVEL & TRANSPORT
• Procuring materials as locally as possible (ideally within a radius of 50 square miles)
• Using local contractors (ideally within a radius of 50 square miles)
• Encouraging the workforce to car-share or ideally use public transport
• Planning plant movement on and off site to minimise fuel consumption

ENERGY USE
•Plant to use bio-diesel or similar fuels
•Plant engines not be left ‘idling’ when not in use
HEALTH & POLLUTION
•Keep the site tidy and minimise noise
•Use natural materials (NOT CHEMICALS)
WASTE MINIMISATION
•As much waste as possible from site to be recycled/reused to avoid landfill or
incineration
WATER USE & DRAINAGE
•Use water in the most efficient way
MAINTENANCE & MANAGEMENT
•Any aspects of financing should be from an ethical institution that does not
invest in planet damaging activities
•Site Manager to keep log of any significant energy saving activities to act as an
exemplar for others. If possible these to be translated into carbon footprint data
COMMUNITY
•Keeping the children and local community regularly informed of progress and
highlighting the above
•Use local workforce
* denotes all materials, internal and external, involving individual or bulk items
IMPORTANT NOTE
•This charter should be adhered to by all sub-contactors

BUILD CHARTER – BOWBRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL
ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY MARRIOTT CONSTRUCTION TO
REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE AND TO PROMOTE THE
BUILD CHARTER TO W/E 18.04.2008
Introduction of ground stabilising geogrid membrane in haul
road.
The introduction of this membrane has reduced the amount of topsoil
and subsoil that needs removing. This in turn has meant that
there is enough space to store topsoil on site. The environmental
benefit has meant less machine digging, no lorries requires to take
topsoil away and less stone needs importing in.
(Reduction of length of noise time & dust time, reduced fuel
requirements, no landfill space required and reduced impact on
local residents).
Use of recycled imported fill for haul road construction.
Recycled 6F1 and 6F2 hardcore stone has been sourced locally from
Sleaford. The environmental benefit has helped reduce the need
to take freshly quarried material from local quarries and limited the
recycled product from going to landfill tips.

3. Reinforcement steel being sourced from local supplier.
This product is being supplied by a company on Bowbridge Road within 2
miles of site. Benefits are in line with the travel and transport principles
and the energy principles set out in the school build charter.
Use of local concrete supplier.
Newark concrete are being used for concrete supplies. Benefits are as
item 3.
Use of local contractors.
All contractors employed to date are within a 50 mile radius of site. A
separate daily signing in sheet is being employed to record where
individuals have travelled from and whether they have car shared.
Benefits are as item 3.
A local waste management company is being utilised to recycle all
construction site waste. Wastecycle from Colwick, Nottingham are
providing this service. They have a waste sorting facility at their depot
and are currently reporting that waste being recycled is at 78%. In
addition they are looking into compiling a spreadsheet that illustrates
what types and amounts of waste have been recycled on a skip by skip
basis. These benefits are in line with the waste minimisation principles
set out in the build charter.

7. School and local community kept regularly informed of progress.
This is self explanatory and is in line with the community principles outlined
in the school build charter.
A local welfare/general labourer has been employed and will be on
site for the duration of the project. Again this is self explanatory and the
benefits are as item 7 and item 18.
Re-use of hardcore from foundation excavations. This material has
been re-used in the hardstandings around the building.
Introduction of Geogrid in the hardstandings around the building. This
has reduced the amount of hardcore required and has stopped subsoil
leaving site. Other environmental considerations are as item 1.
A second letter was sent to residents w/c 12.11.07 informing them of
current progress etc. This is in line with section 17 of the build charter.
Marriott Site Management car sharing where possible. This is in line
with the travel and transport section of the build charter.
Local Merchants are being used when purchasing standard building
materials. This is in line with the travel and transport section of the build
charter.

A third letter was sent to residents 19.12.07 informing them of current
progress. This is in line with section 17 of the build charter.
Marriott suggested re-using some bricks from the oil tank wall in the
construction of the new energy cabin. This will be an excellent
statement in terms of the schools environmental policy and eco views.
This is in line with sections 1 and sections 13.
A Health and Safety talk was given to the whole school during an
assembly and a poster competition was organised. This is in line with
section 17.
Site staff are ensuring energy usage is kept to a minimum in the site
office where possible, (Turning off lights, energy saving electrical items,
heating kept to a minimum etc). This is in line with item 16.
A fourth letter was sent to residents on 20.02.08 informing them of
current progress. This is in line with section 17 of the build charter.
Topsoil excavated from the energy cabin area has been stockpiled on
site. See item 1 for environmental benefits.
Marriott are sharing the schools waste paper recycling facilities. This
will prevent an additional vehicle coming to site to collect waste. This is
in line with section 13.
An additional local labourer was sourced on a short term contract. This
is in line with item 7 and item 18.
School visits take place once a week where schoolchildren are safely
taken around the construction site. This is in line with section 17 and 18.

A daily record is kept of individuals travel to and from site so that the
school can use these records for carbon footprint calculations at a later
date. This is in line with the travel and transport section of the build charter.
2 Directors have car shared when visiting site. This is in line with section 7.
3 Senior Safety Managers have car shared when visiting site. This is in line
with section 7.
Reclaimed bricks have been used in the construction of the energy cabin.
This is in line with sections 1 and 13.
Excavated material from the construction of the soak-away was used as
backfill material in the same construction. The benefits of this are the same
as for item 1.
Local labour is being encouraged to cycle to work where practicable. Two
individuals are taking part in this as opposed to driving.
Marriott Construction are part of the Considerate Constructors scheme.
Timber is being re-used numerous times as shuttering formwork.
Carpets are being procured that are 80% recycled.
Environmentally friendly organic paints are being procured as the paint
finish.
Rainwater harvesting system is being installed.
Solar water heater is being installed.
Biomass (wood pellet) boilers are being installed as the primary heating
system.
Two cherry trees have been saved from felling due to repositioning of haul
road.

External classroom