New School Project Delivery
Successfully opening a new school takes more than just a building – it requires careful planning, coordination, and a deep understanding of how to turn a vision into a working, welcoming space for pupils, staff and visitors.
Following a successful new school bid, whether a DfE delivered or LA Presumption route, delivering the project demands expertise and the ability to align multiple partners and priorities. Our project delivery support guides you from approval through to opening, ensuring progress stays on track and giving you trusted, experienced support every step of the way.
What can we do for you?
- DfE and Local Authority Alignment & Design Development: While the DfE and Local Authority typically select the site and lead on design and contractor selection, we collaborate closely with them to ensure the build meets your curriculum, pupil numbers, and operational/community needs. We attend design meetings to align the specification and budget with your vision, sharing lessons learnt and ensuring your priorities are reflected in the final plans. Working alongside architects and the build contractor and their supply chain, we help shape both the internal and external layout, as well as the look and feel of the building. This includes advising on safeguarding and on the placement of learning spaces, specialist rooms, and outdoor areas, and shaping your FF&E (furniture, fixtures & equipment), ICT, and data requirements. Our involvement continues beyond planning submission, attending site meetings and steering groups throughout the build phase to monitor progress and ensure the final design meets your expectations. Ultimately as your trusted partner we ensure that you are ready to occupy your building from day one and that no activity or responsibility has been forgotten.
- Project Governance and Planning: Our general project support is all online ensuring the project team have up to date access to information. We support the establishment of strong governance structures to oversee the successful delivery of your new school, sharing lessons learnt and managing risk. We facilitate Project Steering Groups, plan agendas, deliver meetings, and ensuring clear outcomes, while also contributing to Educational Working Groups to maintain alignment between the build and the educational vision and curriculum offer. Our approach keeps activity focused, on track and strategically aligned with key milestones.
- Educational Vision Development and Delivery: Building on the work started at your application stage the Education Working Group would lead the development of your school vision, translating that into an education offer through the curriculum. Preparing a detailed education brief, together we support you to translate the key messages into the capital build programme, recruitment and financial modelling, sharing best practice along the way. The building must enable your educational offer, and we help ensure this remains a key focus throughout delivery. We advise on how the space, resources, and operational planning will strengthen not just reflect your educational aims.
- Pupil Number Strategy & Early Planning: We support early thinking about pupil numbers and growth, helping you shape a strategy that aligns with your vision, meets local demand, and supports the financial and educational case for your new school. This includes modelling likely admissions trajectories and considering how the building design and staffing model will support phased growth. Working alongside the respective Local Authority in managing admissions during the early years is also pivotal to future success and sustainability, we would ensure involvement from the LA through the project governance arrangements.
- Finance & Procurement Support: While we do not manage the school or Trust’s budget, we provide guidance on items not covered by DfE funding and assist the Trust in planning for additional expenditure. Procurement activities include sourcing school uniforms, classroom furniture and equipment and ICT managed service or self-delivery, and other essentials ranging from electric charging points to school lunches to ensure the school is fully prepared to welcome pupils from day one. We also highlight less obvious costs that need to be factored into the budget, such as the installation of services beyond the school gate, which can result in ongoing financial commitments for the Trust for example electric charging points in the school car park. Drawing on our years of experience, we ensure the Trust is aware of these financial considerations to support effective long-term planning.
- Leadership & Staffing Recruitment Planning: The appointment of a strong Headteacher/ Principal Designate is a critical early step. We support the Trust in planning the timing, process, and cost implications of this key recruitment. While the Trust leads on interviews and the final appointment, we help shape the process and ensure it aligns with the wider delivery plan. We also support the Trust in development of staff structures and planning for staff transitions during the early years of the school’s opening, advising on realistic strategies to manage initial low pupil numbers, ensure staffing levels are sustainable, all while maintaining staff wellbeing and retention as the school grows.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Strong relationships are key to successful delivery. We support engagement with key groups such as local councillors, LA members, and Schools Forums, as well as local communities and other partners. We help the Trust plan and prepare for the required statutory consultation period, not on the design of the building, but to build awareness and confidence in your educational offer and long-term vision as well as your key policies. This is a statutory requirement of the process and vital for ensuring community support and alignment with local needs and expectations.
- Transition Planning & Opening Readiness: We support you in preparing for a successful opening, focusing on key areas that ensure a smooth transition into operation. This includes guidance to help you prepare for your pre-opening Ofsted inspection, risk management to identify and plan for anything that could cause delays or issues, timeline assurance to keep activity on track and transitional planning to move from development phase to delivery.
- Brand Development: We can work with you to develop a brand identity for your new school. This includes developing a creative brief, coordinating the appointment of a design agency and the associated feedback through to final artwork and the development of marketing collateral.
- Website Development: We can offer extra capacity to support the development of a new and compliant school website. Whether you need to procure a new website or are cloning an existing website (eg within a MAT) we can support the creation of content and assist with content editing.
What our clients think:
OAKBRIDGE CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL - New Primary School
DAMIAN CHUBB, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DALES ACADEMIES TRUST
“GKA have worked with Dales since its formation in 2017 and were instrumental in the successful application for the new school. They have been an extended member of our team leading on key aspects of the project, particularly in the areas of the build, consultation and compliance. We are on track to open on time; GKA’s final activities will include managing the build handover, FF&E delivery and ICT install, as well as community engagement.”
Gilbert Ward Academy - New Special Free School (SEMH)
CHRIS RICHARDSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PROSPER LEARNING TRUST
“GKA supported the Trust through every phase of the Free School process which culminated in the opening of Gilbert Ward Academy in September 2023. Their engagement with the project started years earlier when they coordinated the writing of the initial bid to the DfE, providing a detailed project plan for the bidding process and a continual loop of quality assurance activity based on their extensive experience of the sector and the process. This included support for and participation in the DfE interview which resulted in the Trust being appointed as the lead partner in the project. GKA then supported us through the entire pre-opening phase by once again producing and monitoring a sophisticated project plan and supporting the steering group and associated committees which transitioned the school to its successful opening.
GKA are experts in this field. They have an intuitive understanding of the guidance and regulations and extensive contacts in associated organisations. They marry this with robust internal protocols around project planning, management and quality assurance. They work hard, meet deadlines and deliver their service to a consistently high standard. Importantly they instill confidence in all the relevant stakeholders and are responsive and approachable at all times.
GKA have now supported Prosper Learning Trust with two successful Free Schools and are currently supporting a third into its pre-opening phase.”
ELEMENTS ACADEMY - New Special Free School (SEMH)
JAYNE FOSTER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ETHOS ACADEMY TRUST
“We have worked with GKA since 2017 – prior to the formation of Ethos Academy Trust. Their work with us at Elements Academy was exemplary and without them we would not have achieved the extremely challenging timeframe of delivery within 8 months from start to finish! The team was professional and really guided us through our first free school project with great care and rigour.”
Harry Watts Academy - New Special School (ASD)
JOANNE CLIFFORD-SWAN, MEMBER AND CHAIR OF TRUSTEES, PROSPER LEARNING TRUST
“GKA supported us through the entire process from application, interview and pre-opening through to opening on a temporary site to subsequently opening the new school. With numerous challenges during the process due to Covid GKA were unphased and solutions focused, guiding us through the project through to delivery. Key deliverables included; procurement of major ICT and FF&E contracts, appointment of a PD and a successful pre-opening Ofsted.”