Springmoor Grange School has opened its doors to pupils after Esh Construction completed the £13 million build on behalf of Durham County Council.
More than 320 primary school students and over 50 nursery children are settling into life in their new school, which replaces Ox Close Primary and Ox Close Nursery Schools as demand for school provision in Spennymoor continues to grow.
Grant Watson, Construction Manager for Esh’s commercial build division, said: “Working with Durham County Council, we are proud to deliver a brand-new school that will support the local community and provide the best environment for children's learning and development.
“This project is a testament to our commitment to enhancing the social and economic wellbeing of the area through thoughtful, community-focused development and with more than 90% of our workforce coming from the North East, we are not just building a school, but contributing to a stronger, more vibrant community."
Inside the newly fitted out school are 21 teaching classrooms, a nursery, a learning community suite, library, and office spaces, as well as a staff room, toilet facilities, changing rooms, a hall and dining and kitchen facilities.
Headteacher Anna Bowden has been excited to see the community settle into school life in the first few weeks of term. She said: “The opening of Springmoor Grange School has been a huge success. We are so excited to be together as one team in our new school. The children entered on their first day with huge smiles and were very excited to explore.
“The facilities are truly fantastic and will help us to enhance our current provision whilst also maintaining the high standards, strong community ethos and wraparound care provision.
“It has been great to work alongside Durham County Council and Esh Construction to ensure that the new build is of maximum benefit for the children of Spennymoor, their families and the wider community. To see the final outcome being achieved successfully, and the children happy, is a testament to everyone’s hard work.”
More than 90% of the workforce hailed from the North East region, with 24 veterans working on the project. Several employability workshops were delivered to schools across the region, from Construction in the Curriculum sessions to Get into STEM and Stay Safe programmes rolled out during the project build, in line with Esh’s Constructing Local strategy.
Esh Construction worked in partnership with Billinghurst George and Partners, Howarth Litchfield and Desco throughout the scheme.
Springmoor Grange School marks the third high quality primary school that Esh has delivered in the North East in recent years. The construction of Bowburn Primary School in partnership with Durham County Council was completed in 2022, while for Sunderland City Council the new Willow Wood Primary School opened its doors in 2021. During this period, Esh have also constructed two new facilities for New College Durham and one for Teesside University.
