Interserve to construct new school concept in Plymouth

Interserve, the services, maintenance and building group, has won the contract for the Plymouth schools PFI programme.

The support firm will construct and maintain the new primary school for 450 pupils. It promises to be an ‘all-through school' bringing together an early-years, primary, secondary and specialist school on a single campus.

Adrian Ringrose, chief executive of Interserve, said: "We are proud to be leading the development of a new way of delivering education to the children in the UK."

Interserve is currently completing another ‘all-through school', also a PFI project and the first of its kind in the country, at the Hadley Learning Community, Telford, which will open to students this September.

As is the case at Telford, at Plymouth Interserve will be responsible for the design and construction of the schools and for providing facilities services to them through the 25-year PFI contract. Barclay's Private Equity is the consortium's financial partner.

Ringrose said: "The lessons we have learnt building schools around the country will help us provide Plymouth the best possible learning environment for its children. We look forward to delivering two first-class schools to the city."