East Hampshire school receives extra £450,000 for expansion after construction setbacks
Additional funding approved for Alderwood School due to unforeseen ground and drainage issues
Alderwood School in Aldershot has been allocated an additional £450,000 for its expansion project after unforeseen ground and drainage issues emerged during construction.
Hampshire County Council has approved the extra funding, raising the total project cost from £13.5 million to £13.95 million.
The expansion project aims to accommodate 300 more pupils, increasing the school's capacity from 850 to 1,150 places.
Unexpected Construction Challenges
Contractors encountered problems while working on the school's staff car park, including poor ground conditions that necessitated additional stabilisation efforts with large quantities of crushed stone.
Furthermore, the site’s drainage system underperformed and required an upgrade to address flooding issues, necessitating a more sophisticated and costly drainage setup than initially planned.
Construction commenced in November 2024 following the approval by the council's cabinet member for education in March 2024.
Expansion Plans and Community Needs
The project includes the creation of new teaching spaces with specialised classrooms for technology, textiles, graphics, three new science classrooms, and general teaching rooms.
Additionally, the existing science block will be refurbished and reroofed, necessitating the demolition of the current single-storey specialist teaching facility.
The expansion was expedited to meet the growing demand for secondary school places in Aldershot and nearby areas, spurred by local housing developments.
Alderwood School previously expressed support for the plans, highlighting the increasing pressure from rising pupil numbers.