Bank View South SEND School and New Heights School, Liverpool
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Summary
Refurbishing a former school and establishing two new schools
Robertson was engaged by Liverpool City Council to rapidly refurbish the former Parklands High School, which closed in 2014, to establish two new schools, so that children in Liverpool could receive educational support to suit their need within the city area for the 2023–2024 school year.
2
schools
250 places
for Bank View School
25 places
for New Heights School
Bank View South School
Bank View South is a new school for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The first phase was to remodel existing classrooms to accommodate an initial 70 pupils in time for the school year. We also added hygiene rooms, installed new toilets and a kitchen, and incorporated 1100mm-high balustrading. Our work continued after the critical Phase 1 deadline was met, by enhancing the exterior with a winding path, creating an outdoor area for keeping chickens, and providing wheelchair-accessible picnic benches. Capacity for a further 70 places was created by Phase 2a of the project between June and November 2024, with further places created in Phase 2b 2025.
New Heights School
New Heights School is a new Pupil Referral Unit accommodating 25 young people. The project involved creating a new woodwork room, a hair and beauty area, science labs, an art room, a reception area, and general classrooms. We refurbished the existing hub area to create a dining area and a space for pupil interaction. There are access controls on all internal and external doors, along with CCTV facilities.
Acoustic panels and suspended ceilings in both schools optimise the learning environment.
Delivering Phase 1 in nine weeks
Meeting tight project timelines was critical so that children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities could start school in September and receive their education within the Liverpool area. Starting on July 3rd, the classrooms and internal work needed to be completed within nine weeks. Despite the challenge, the team successfully kept the project on schedule, ensuring the children could begin the new year in their refurbished schools. We completed the external works of Phase 1 in December 2023, with Phase 2 following in 2024.
Phase 2B - staff room, teaching pods and classrooms
The final phase of this project was completed in September 2025, with Robertson working closely with end users, Liverpool City Council and project management consultant AtkinsRéalis to create the new, high-quality learning environments.
The internal refurbishment included the creation of new classrooms and ancillary spaces from existing spaces, installation of energy-efficient electrical and mechanical systems, acoustic treatments added to every classroom for noise reduction, new toilet facilities and improvements to the auditorium, control room and learning areas.
Pupils occupied the building from September 2023 after the completion of the initial phase of works, with subsequent refurbishments progressing in the live school environment. Working hours were tailored and programme updates clearly communicated while noise levels were carefully monitored to minimise potential impact to pupils.
Social impact
Both Clear Futures and Procure Partnerships projects have social value designed in to their delivery, with a strong commitment to benefiting the local community – from developing the careers of local young people to supporting the local supply chain and supporting charities.
- £1.78m total social value generated
- £1.32m local spend
- 13 local people employed (FTE)
- 122 weeks of apprenticeships
- 7 work placements
- 104 hours of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training
- 56 hours of expert business advice to SMEs
- 135 hours providing employability support
- 201 hours of educational engagement
- £8,620 donations to local community
Route to market
Phase 1 and 2a were delivered with Clear Futures, a long-term strategic partnership with Liverpool City Council. To make this project happen, Clear Futures worked with the council’s education team to prioritise needs across their education estate and fast track delivery, alongside two other SEN education projects.
Route to market - Phase 2B
Phase 2B was procured through Procure Partnerships and funded by Liverpool City Council using £2.5m of High Needs Provisional Capital funding.
