Morgan Sindall Construction has marked a significant milestone with the successful completion of the main building phase for the King Henry VIII 3-19 School redevelopment in Abergavenny.
A special celebration was held to commemorate this transformative achievement. Representatives from Morgan Sindall, Monmouthshire County Council, and key project partners gathered on site to officially hand over the new school building to the client, ahead of a scheduled year of further external works.
Procured via the SEWSCAP framework, the £62.5 million project delivers a purpose-built, all-through school for Monmouthshire County Council. It brings together primary, secondary, and sixth form education on a single campus, incorporating wraparound childcare, Flying Start provision and specialist facilities for children with additional learning needs.
The school comprises 15,000 square metres of teaching space, including 107 teaching spaces. These are distributed across the Lower School, Upper School, and Sixth Form, alongside dedicated sixth form dining facilities, flexible open teaching zones, outdoor learning areas, and designated forest school spaces.
The development also features wellbeing zones, sensory rooms, home economics areas, and dedicated Special Resource Base (SRB) spaces to support pupils with additional learning needs.
Externally, the site will offer a 3G football pitch, a 2G hockey pitch, a cycle training zone, Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), long jump facilities, and a new Active Travel route – fully lit and publicly accessible – connecting key parts of the site.
Constructed using a steel frame and incorporating GGBS cement to reduce embodied carbon, the school is Monmouthshire County Council’s first that is designed to be Net Zero Carbon in operation.
Photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed to power the school directly. Additional sustainability measures include underfloor heating, air source heat pumps, enhanced insulation, and triple-glazed windows.
The project team successfully navigated a range of logistical and environmental challenges, including managing high groundwater levels and working on a sloping site.
Early contractor involvement played a pivotal role in overcoming these hurdles, enabling intelligent design solutions to be implemented at an early stage – particularly in relation to steelwork, mechanical and electrical (M&E) systems, groundworks, kitchen fit-out, and furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E).
A key adaptation was made to the sheet piling design to preserve a 700-year-old oak tree, which is now a central feature of the landscape plan.
Carbon output for the project has been carefully monitored using the proprietary CarboniCa carbon assessment tool, which enables accurate tracking and control of carbon emissions.
In addition, Morgan Sindall has applied its 10 Tonne Challenge to this project, encouraging collaboration across consultants and the supply chain to identify innovative ways of reducing carbon emissions during the construction process.
Beyond environmental sustainability, the project has delivered significant social value for the local community. Morgan Sindall created 60 new jobs for those not in education, employment or training or the long-term unemployed, while supporting 22 new apprentices.
The team engaged more than 9,323 pupils through STEM activities and donated over 1,000 hours to school engagement programmes. The commitment to supporting the Welsh economy was demonstrated through sourcing 82% of the workforce from Wales and retaining 84% of supply chain spend locally.
Robert Williams, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in Wales, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to have delivered this transformative project for Monmouthshire County Council and the local community. King Henry VIII 3-19 School represents not only a major investment in education but also in sustainable construction and inclusive design.
“This project is a testament to what can be achieved through early collaboration, intelligent planning, and a shared commitment to creating inspiring learning environments.
“I’d like to thank the client team at Monmouth, the consultants and our project team, supply chain, and all our partners for their hard work and dedication in bringing this vision to life.
“A fantastic project that has been not only a great delivery success but has also built some wonderful friendships and relationships along the way – a true collaboration with one shared goal.”
