Ormiston Victory Academy

This project expanded Ormiston Victory Academy, Costessey, to 1500 places for 11–16-year-olds. It created a new three-storey building, including art, creative media, and food technology facilities, as well as general teaching rooms, toilets, and staff space. The project also included some internal remodelling of existing buildings, for kitchen and dining facilities, and science labs.

This project was a priority for Norfolk County Council, and the Greater Norwich Growth Board, as it is in an area which has seen significant housing growth at major developments including Queens Hill, Lodge Farm, and the new estate at Easton. The school’s location means that the catchment area is a mix of both Norwich City and South Norfolk. The project therefore offered significant community benefit for both districts.

Prior to the project, the school was struggling with capacity issues. The original build design, which Norfolk County Council was not involved with, included many open plan learning spaces. These areas were not suitable for teaching and reduced the space available for classroom-based teaching, which resulted in the school being unable to offer as many places as it would have otherwise. This led to students from Easton failing to have spaces allocated to them, despite living within the catchment area. 

The GNGB’s £4m of funding made an enormous difference to the deliverability of the project. By supporting the School, the GNGB have helped ensure that there are sufficient school places in the area, alleviating the impact of housing growth.  

Throughout the project the contractor, Pentaco, invested heavily in developing relationships with the school and students. They coordinated celebration events with students and careers engagement to promote opportunities in construction, along with the NPS multi-disciplinary team and Children’s Services Officers.