Willmott Dixon has started construction of Garendon Primary School, an £11.8m, 420-place primary school for Leicestershire County Council in west Loughborough, the first to be delivered to a standardised school design the contractor created specifically for the council.

The two-storey, 2,089 sq m school on William Railton Road sits at the centre of the Garendon Park housing development between Dishley and Hathern, where new housing has driven demand for additional school places. Willmott Dixon is due to complete the building in July 2027, ahead of the school opening to pupils that September.

Garendon utilises a design approach designed to cut design time, cost and waste by repeating and refining a proven model across successive schools. To help keep the building energy and cost-efficient, careful consideration was given to building materials and quality, including a 300 sq m photovoltaic array on the roof to help power the facility.

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The steel-framed school was procured via the Major Construction Works Framework managed by Pagabo on behalf of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We have worked with Leicestershire County Council for two decades, and Garendon is the first school we are building to the standardised design we created specifically for the council. That design lets each new school start from what we learned on the last one, taking time and cost out of the process, which matters when demand for places in areas like west Loughborough is rising as fast as it is. Garendon will give 420 children a modern place to learn, and gives the council a repeatable model it can use again as the county grows.”

Cllr Charles Pugsley, cabinet member for children and families at Leicestershire County Council, said: “We have a growing county and our priority is making sure that new schools in Leicestershire are put in the right place. The start of work on Garendon Primary School by Willmott Dixon is a major milestone for this new community, and we’re looking forward to the school welcoming students.”

Two decades in Leicestershire

Garendon builds on a relationship with Leicestershire County Council stretching back 20 years, over which Willmott Dixon has delivered a series of primary schools for the council. These include Hollycroft Primary School in Hinckley - Leicestershire’s first school designed to be net zero carbon in operation - and the £9.3m Wellington Place Primary School at the Airfield Farm development in Market Harborough, which opened to pupils in September 2024.

Social value

Willmott Dixon will support students and schools across the Loughborough area during construction, including apprenticeships, laptop donations, enrichment programmes and mock interview workshops.