Kier Construction (Western & Wales) has helped a Plymouth school convert two small classrooms into a more suitable area to teach BTEC courses in construction.

Last year Ridgeway School decided to trial a new and expanded programme of vocational courses for its 14 to 16-year-old students. Initial take up was extremely positive and this year demand has increased again to the point where facilities would have been stretched to the limit; the school urgently needed to create a more suitable teaching space.


Ridgeway School business manager, Matt Matthews, put out a call to local construction companies to see if they could find a solution to the problem and Kier rose to the challenge. After carrying out a structural survey, it came up with a plan to link two existing classrooms to create a much larger practical area with a designated classroom.

Ridgeway school head teacher, John Didymus said: "The response from Kier has been outstanding. They have given us the opportunity to offer our students an excellent environment in which to learn. What more could we ask from a leader in the construction industry?"

Kier subcontractor Interior Concepts Ltd carried out the building work over the summer erecting stud partition walls and hanging the doors to make the classrooms ready in time for the new term.

(CD/GK)