Robertson praised for its first class community innovation during its Goldthorpe Primary School project
Robertson’s Yorkshire & East Midlands business has been commended for its exceptional community engagement while constructing a new school for Barnsley Metropolitan Council, South Yorkshire.
During the building of New Goldthorpe Primary School – a new steel-framed building on a brownfield site close to the existing school – the site team pulled out all the stops to bring lasting value to the community.
Goldthorpe is an ex-mining community with a high level of unemployment. The former miners had little or no schooling, which has filtered down to the younger generations, resulting in higher than average levels of illiteracy in the town.
Poverty is also a major issue for the neighbourhood, with around 20% of the students at Goldthorpe Primary School previously going to school without breakfast – until the school and the Robertson team stepped in to help.
Keen to address this problem to ensure the children can concentrate on learning, school staff attended work early and fed approximately 50 students per day.
This was supported by the site team who raised funds for food through its ‘Give a Breakfast for the Breakfast Club’ incentive, even helping to serve the food. This approach (among other incentives) has helped to deliver the best performing school in the area.
Robertson Community Development Manager Jane Braybrook said:
“The input of the head teacher and the presentation given to the Monitor by the pupils really made a difference. They also have a huge display of drawings and photographs throughout the school hall, which were all donated by the site and really illustrated how much of an insight the children have got into the industry.”
Project Manager Gordon Fawcett said:
“The Scheme provides a series of benchmarks that are above the average building site operational standards. When these benchmarks are met, or bettered, the entire community benefits. Every site operative donated the cost of a breakfast sandwich to the funds and, with the assistance of local shopkeepers, we managed to supply enough food to the school to provide breakfast for the students for four weeks.”
One of the challenges faced by the project team was employing a local workforce from a community which was largely unskilled. Despite this, the project team engaged six scaffolders, four brick layers, one joiner, two labourers and an office cleaner.
Here are some examples of best practice initiatives carried out by Robertson on the Goldthorpe Primary School project:
- Secure site entrance with full-time gateman and solid boundary hoarding onto the road.
- Off-site car park and separate pedestrian entrance to the site accommodation, giving a very positive and professional image of the industry.
- Informative signage was on display for the benefit of passers-by and visitors, including the Project Manager’s 24/7 contact details.
- Dress code rules relating to the smart appearance of the workforce were covered at induction, with rules on wearing correctly logoed PPE.
- An induction toolbox talk also covered the issues of cleanliness and good housekeeping by the workforce.
- Two smoking shelters were provided – one specifically for e-cigarette use.
- The company’s corporate identity was very well promoted with both the Robertson name and corporate colours on both the site cabins and solid fencing. The supply chain were also buying into this.
- Project Manager Gordon Fawcett and his team attended the school on a regular basis, giving presentations on the various aspects of the build to tie in with the curriculum, which has been modified to include the building process.
- Numerous materials and man-hours have been given to the school in order to help with both the curriculum and the enhancement of school facilities.
- A trip was organised for the children to visit a steel fabrication company 35 miles away, where the frame for the building was being produced.
- Weekly site visits were arranged for the children, and these included taking turns on the ‘big digger’.
- A local community build programme was introduced to encourage youngsters into the industry, with the site adapting its operations to enable the young people to experience real work situations. As an example: at the training centre only cold tarmac demonstrations could be made, whereas on site they were given the opportunity to work with hot-lay tarmac. Similarly, laying curbs on concrete rather than on sand gave them a better feel for the actual work.
- Robertson introduced incentives to purchase goods from the retailers in the area, to benefit the local economy. These included entering every receipt from a local shop into a prize draw.
- On ‘Earth Day’, 23 students and four staff attended site and, with the assistance of site management, planted 23 edible hedge plants in advance of the school being handed over.
- Feedback forms and regular community bulletins were issued to all local residents, and banners and contact details displayed on the outside of the hoardings.
- A neighbourhood newsletter was produced to include specific details about the site’s involvement with the Scheme, with an excellent incentive scheme in place to promote the purchasing of goods from local shops.
- Dealing with waste was effectively carried out with segregation and recycling.
- Environmental issues were brought up at induction and there was some posted information on view, including an environmental noticeboard.
- The project caused no vibration and noise pollution, although noise and dust were both monitored.
- Water was retained in the early constructed SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems), which was used for cleaning purposes on site.
- The site’s carbon footprint was measured and monitored through BREEAM registration and local labour was used wherever possible.
- Vehicle sharing was specifically encouraged amongst the workforce.
- To enhance the local natural environment, a number of trees were planted – Robertson are generally involved in extensive carbon offsetting, managing and owning forests in Scotland.
- Care was taken regarding movement of vehicles or construction plant on the site, with constant attendance by a qualified banksman.
- Drivers received training regarding cycle awareness on the roads.
- Safety signage was distributed around the site, as well as an up to date hazard board displayed.
- Drugs and alcohol testing was randomly carried out.
- Respect, fair treatment, equality and diversity issues were well addressed on-site, which included a specific ‘quiet room’ used as a prayer room by the gateman.
- This was all maintained and implemented using a management ‘open door’ policy and ensuring good management engagement and communication.
- There was a health and wellbeing display, with information relating to workforce welfare.
- The site had a regular cleaner who looked after the good welfare facilities (which included both male and female showers).
- All engaged on site have appropriate skill cards and both company and site encourage new people into the industry with excellent initiatives in place, to include placements and school and college visits.
