Surrey County Council is pleased to announce the official opening of the newly rebuilt Fordway Centre, a state-of-the-art short-stay school designed to support primary-aged pupils who are finding it difficult to thrive in mainstream education settings.
The Fordway Centre offers a modern, inclusive, and nurturing environment for up to 24 pupils aged 5 to 11, with the aim of helping them re-engage with learning and, where appropriate, transition back into mainstream education.
The new building includes group rooms and calm spaces, as well as a large community kitchen and dining area, an activity room and staff areas and a playground and multi-use games area.
Part of the Inclusive Education Trust, the Fordway Centre supports children referred by the local authority following permanent exclusion or those at risk of exclusion.
Dave Euridge, CEO of Inclusive Education Trust said, “These are some of Surrey’s most vulnerable pupils and they have been educated in substandard buildings. They deserve so much more and so we celebrate the fact that our current and future pupils will receive an outstanding education in a setting that is designed and built with their personal and educational needs in mind. This new building will ensure the Fordway Centre will give an even better experience for all that need our support.”
With small class sizes (up to 8 pupils), a high staff-to-pupil ratio, and a strong focus on emotional wellbeing, the school provides a calm and structured environment that fosters positive behaviour and academic re-engagement.
The new two-storey building, delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction, represents a £6.05 million investment as part of Surrey County Council’s wider £48.3 million Alternative Provision (AP) Capital Programme. The Programme aims to consolidate and modernise nine existing AP provisions into five high-quality sites, increasing capacity from 199 to 240 places across the county. Surrey County Council is also investing £211.44 million on its SEND Capital Programme. This will expand the maintained specialist education estate by around 2,404 additional places by 2030, and improve existing facilities equivalent to 633 places.
Guy Hannell, Morgan Sindall Construction’s Southern Home Counties Area Director, said, “It’s been an absolute pleasure to celebrate our delivery of the Fordway Centre with Surrey County Council, teachers, and pupils. This project is incredibly beneficial for Surrey’s community, supporting the next generation with specialised facilities that are tailored to the needs of pupils with additional learning requirements.
“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed continuing our relationship with Surrey County Council throughout this project and aligning with their net zero carbon in operation goals to deliver Fordway’s new building. We look forward to seeing pupils and the centre’s staff enjoy the new educational environment that’s been created.”
The school welcomed its first pupils into the new building at the beginning of June. On seeing the school’s new activity room, one child said, “Now we can do sports even if it’s raining!”. The much-improved facilities create more opportunities for the pupils, whatever the weather.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Councillor Jonathan Hulley, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning said, “It is fantastic to be here today to officially open the Fordway Centre. Morgan Sindall have done an exceptional job leading the construction work to create this brand-new facility. As a Council, we are committed to ensuring that our SEND and Alternative Provision Capital Programmes deliver fit-for-purpose specialist school provision across Surrey. We want our children to feel included, supported, and empowered to succeed, closer to home.”
Councillor Natalie Bramhall, Cabinet Member for Property, Infrastructure and Waste said, “This is a fantastic example of our Land & Property, Education teams and project partners’ collaboration and commitment to improving outcomes for children in Surrey. With a thoughtful design, the new Fordway Centre is purpose-built to meet the needs of the children who attend. I am delighted to celebrate the opening of these wonderful new facilities.”
Surrey County Council would like to thank all partners involved in the project, including Inclusive Education Trust, Morgan Sindall, Pick Everard, Holmes Miller, Turner & Townsend, Vail Williams, and the dedicated teams from the council’s Land & Property, Planning, and Education departments.
Notes to editors
Fordway Centre:
Surrey County Council Additional Needs and Disabilities Transformation:
The Additional Needs and Disabilities Partnership | Surrey Local Offer
Surrey Inclusion and Additional Needs Partnership Strategy 2023 to 2026
Morgan Sindall Construction:
Morgan Sindall Construction is a UK business with a network of local offices. Project capabilities cover the entire range of construction activities, from special works and repair and maintenance to major landmark schemes delivered as standalone projects or as part of larger multiple project frameworks. The company operates across the public and private sectors to deliver the social infrastructure around us – from schools, universities and hospitals to retail, office, and leisure environments.
Morgan Sindall Group plc is a leading UK Construction & Regeneration group with annual revenue of £3.6bn, employing around 7,200 employees and operating in the public, regulated and private sectors. It reports through six divisions of Construction, Infrastructure, Fit Out, Property Services, Partnership Housing and Urban Regeneration.
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