Students and community groups are set to benefit from a new facility that opened on the construction site for the new Nottingham Emmanuel C of E School in Wilford yesterday thanks to Laing O’Rourke, the UK’s largest privately owned construction company.

Called ‘The Learning Zone’, the pioneering facility has been built within the Wilford Lane construction site to provide school and community groups with first hand experience of the new school build project. The facility will act as a venue in which to hold a wide variety of lessons, meetings and other activities and will be open for use over the next twelve months as the build programme progresses.

Claire Brough, community relations manager for Laing O’Rourke, said: “The Learning Zone is an initiative we have developed to engage young people and local communities in the projects we are delivering.

“By opening this facility at Wilford we are firstly encouraging the pupils to understand more about the construction of their new school and feel a part of its development. Secondly we are encouraging the local community to come on to the site and see the construction activity for themselves, through the various events and activities that will be facilitated. And thirdly, we will be using it to promote the construction industry as a potential career path for students in schools right across Nottinghamshire.”

The facility in Wilford has been designed as a flexible space which can be adapted for everything from school lessons and business meetings, to art exhibitions or construction work-taster days. It has state-of-the-art facilities to cater for a wide variety of practical uses and will be used daily by students, local community groups and MENCAP, who share the Emmanuel School site.

Pupils will use the venue for their daily timetable to learn about sustainability in construction, or writing English essays on a ‘Day in the Life’ of a construction site manager, for example. The location of the building also means students will be able to look out on to the building site to see first hand the subject matter they are learning about.

Carol Fearria, head teacher of Emmanuel School, added: “The Learning Zone will really bring our new school to life and provide a unique opportunity for our students to understand what’s happening through each stage of construction.

“We have worked closely with Laing O’Rourke to devise a series of lesson plans which will be delivered in The Learning Zone. Various departments will work on collaborative projects, including increasing students’ knowledge of different aspects of the construction industry, showing how it is relevant to everyday life and hopefully open our students’ eyes to considering it as a future career.”

The Learning Zone will be open for the duration of the Emmanuel School build programme and the facilities can be booked by contacting Claire Brough at cbrough@laingorourke.com or emmanuelschoollearningzone@lainorourke.com