Professional Educational Project at Queensmill School

Queensmill School presented a complex programme challenge from the outset, with a significant package of refurbishment and improvement works required to be completed within the seven-week summer holiday period.

The original scope already required a high concentration of activity within a very limited timeframe. Many specialist trades needed to operate across the site, with many activities dependent on preceding works being completed before the next trade could progress. Careful sequencing was therefore critical, with very little tolerance within the programme for delays or disruption.

The challenge increased considerably once the project was underway. During the holiday period, the school identified a substantial number of additional works that they wanted to take advantage of the closure period to complete. These items extended the original scope at a point when the programme was already extremely tight.

Rather than simply extending the completion date, the additional works had to be incorporated around the existing programme while maintaining the fixed deadline for the school's reopening. This required the project team to continually assess the impact of new instructions, available labour, procurement requirements and dependencies between trades.

As a specialist SEND environment, completion also meant more than simply finishing the construction works. Areas needed to be fully completed, tested, cleaned and ready for staff and pupils to return, making the reopening date an immovable project milestone.

Ash Technical Services approached the project with programme management and coordination at the centre of delivery.

The original seven-week programme was broken down into individual work areas and activities, allowing multiple trades to progress concurrently wherever possible.

Sequencing was continually reviewed to ensure that each area was made available to the next trade at the earliest opportunity and that one activity did not unnecessarily restrict progress elsewhere.

As the scope increased, the programme became a live management tool rather than a fixed document. We assessed additional works as they were instructed and incorporated them into the wider sequence, adjusting labour and specialist contractors to create additional capacity where required.

The number of different trades operating across the project made communication particularly important. The Ash site and project management teams coordinated contractors daily, reviewing completed works, upcoming activities, access requirements, and dependencies to maintain momentum across the site.

Where possible, we carried out activities simultaneously in separate areas of the school. Procurement was managed alongside the construction programme, with materials and specialist items prioritised according to when they were required on site.

This flexible approach allowed us to accommodate a significantly increased scope without losing sight of the original completion milestone. Rather than allowing additional instructions to simply extend the programme, the team continually resequenced activities and increased resources where necessary to protect the school's reopening date.

Despite the considerable increase in scope during an already demanding seven week programme, Ash Technical Services successfully delivered the works in time for Queensmill School to reopen for the new academic year.

The completed project incorporated both the original contracted works and a substantial package of additional improvements requested during the summer period, allowing the school to maximise the opportunity presented by the building being unoccupied.

The project required a significant collaborative effort from the Ash project team and the numerous specialist contractors involved. Through careful sequencing, responsive decision making and close coordination between trades, a volume of work considerably greater than originally anticipated was delivered within the available holiday window.

For the school, this meant returning to completed, operational and improved facilities without construction works continuing into the new term.

Queensmill demonstrates Ash Technical Services' ability to manage complex, programme critical projects within live education estates, particularly where scope evolves during delivery. The project highlights the importance of strong site management, established specialist contractor relationships and the ability to respond quickly to changing client requirements while maintaining a fixed completion date.