Woodland View School
Client: East Dunbartonshire Council
Location: Waterside, Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Sector: Education
Project Budget: £34,900,000
Completion: June 2023
Social Value Delivered: £6.5 million
Labour: 81% within 20 miles
Project Spend: 78% within 20 miles
SME Spend: 85%
"It was very exciting to see inside our new school – the building is absolutely fantastic! It has been designed to meet the needs of all of our pupils; from extra wide lifts to an accessible walkway, connecting the ground and first floor."
Kay Hunter
Headteacher, Woodland View School
Woodland View School is a purpose-built facility for children and young people with a broad range of Additional Support Needs in East Dunbartonshire.
When East Dunbartonshire Council set out to merge its two Additional Support Needs (ASN) schools — Campsie View School, supporting pupils with severe to profound learning and medical needs, and Merkland School, supporting pupils with predominantly mild to moderate learning disabilities — a new, purpose-built facility was required.
Both schools played a key role in shaping the design of the new site, ensuring the building would help all pupils access education in an environment tailored to their needs. The result is Woodland View School, a state-of-the-art facility that offers early years provision, primary and secondary departments, as well as a sensory trail, extra-wide lifts, a multi-use games area and a splash pool.
McLaughlin & Harvey was appointed to deliver the project via the SCAPE Scotland Construction framework, enabling early contractor engagement which supported extensive stakeholder engagement early in the project. This allowed for the project team to not only deliver a high-quality learning facility, but the opportunity to generate meaningful and lasting social value.
As the existing schools were no longer fit for purpose, East Dunbartonshire Council set out to develop a new facility capable of meeting the needs of all users. Catering for pupils aged 2–18, the design needed to support a wide range of ASN.
During pre-construction, the Council undertook considerable stakeholder engagement, holding a series of workshops with staff and parents to understand their requirements, preferred classroom sizes and how to bring together the building’s different spaces.
The local community was also a key stakeholder on this project. As the site was designated as an open space and formed an important part of Waterside Village, it was essential that the community felt heard and actively involved throughout the planning, design and construction stages.
Accessibility was a key challenge for this project. The design needed to ensure access for all pupils, including wheelchair users, those with mobility difficulties, and those with hearing, visual and other sensory impairments.
The initial design proposed a single-storey school, but further consultation led to a two-storey option. This raised concerns, particularly around accessibility for pupils with more profound needs. However, rather than segregating those pupils on the ground floor, the design integrated a range of classroom types throughout the building to support a more inclusive environment.
Construction of Woodland View began during the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting an additional challenge. To protect the workforce and wider community while maintaining the construction programme, McLaughlin & Harvey implemented comprehensive on-site measures, including daily testing and social distancing.
Woodland View School brings together pupils from Campsie View and Merkland Schools in a purpose-built learning environment designed around their complex educational needs. The school includes a nursery for 20 children aged 2–5, alongside flexible teaching spaces for 90 primary and 90 secondary pupils, supporting 200 learners in total.
In addition to providing accessibility for wheelchair users, the school features a central sensory trail designed to be enjoyed by all. Gently ramping from the ground floor, through the main social spaces, to the first floor, the trail provides an alternative route for pupils to move around and access all areas of the building. It also creates an interactive experience, incorporating touch points, scents and visual elements that extend from the garden to the top-floor classrooms.
Read the project's full impact report here.
"After having my first tour inside Woodland View School, I am confident this purpose-built place of learning will well serve the needs of the 200 pupils from Merkland and Campsie View Schools who will start attending here.”
Gordan Low
Councillor, East Dunbartonshire Council
Delivering social value in construction
Building futures, employment and upskilling
Across its projects, McLaughlin & Harvey is committed to creating a range of learning opportunities to help people forge successful career pathways. Delivered through Building Futures, one of McLaughlin & Harvey’s five social value pillars, Woodland View School is a great example of this commitment in action.
Alongside the construction programme, a range of initiatives, events and placements were delivered to educate and inspire the next generation of construction professionals. These included youth employability programmes, a construction taster day, work experience opportunities and STEM curriculum support sessions.
The project also facilitated a six-month placement for a Foundation Apprentice in Civil Engineering and supported a student in progressing to McLaughlin & Harvey’s YourFuture Graduate Scheme following their time on site.
Throughout the project, McLaughlin & Harvey helped create local employment opportunities, with 124 local jobs created and sustained. The team also delivered a number of initiatives focused on wellbeing, diversity and inclusion. These included neurodiversity management training for four employees, 112 labour practice audits, three financial and wellbeing advice workshops, a 15-week training programme centred on upskilling and the delivery of a construction programme across Scotland in partnership with Women in Property.
Benefiting the local economy
On this project, over 80% of labour and more than 75% of McLaughlin & Harvey’s supply chain spend was sourced within a 20-mile radius, supporting East Dunbartonshire’s local economy. Across a number of initiatives, social enterprise spend exceeded £73,000, supporting organisations including Community Wood Recycling and a cleaning business that helps individuals overcome barriers to employment.
Elsewhere, McLaughlin & Harvey also strengthened the local economy by supporting the regional supply chain and SMEs. In total, 85% of project spend was with SMEs, while a ‘Meet the Buyer’ event connected local businesses directly with the project team.
Creating lasting social impact for communities
McLaughlin & Harvey actively supports communities most in need through its YouMatter Communities Scheme. Throughout the delivery of the Woodland View project, the team took part in a range of initiatives to support charities and organisations addressing local challenges.
Activities included the collection and distribution of Christmas hampers for individuals living in temporary accommodation, a sponsored charity walk in support of Action for Children, over 100 hours of volunteering, and a series of initiatives with local education providers.
Together, these efforts have helped foster healthier, more resilient communities in East Dunbartonshire, providing those who need it most with a springboard to a brighter future.
200
places for pupils across nursery, primary and secondary
138
pupils engaged with during the process
53
placements for apprentices and trainees
124
local job opportunities
In collaboration with:
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