DfE IQRA VA Primary School

Baxall won the contract (via the DfE Construction Framework) to demolish the existing Iqra VA Primary School followed by the design and build of a 1FE new school. With zero use of fossil fuels, Iqra is one of the first Net Zero Carbon in Operation (NZCiO) schools in the South of England to be delivered on behalf of the DfE. The school’s users are predominantly of Islamic faith, which led to specific and unique requirements for the facility.

Baxall took possession of the site after Iqra’s pupils and staff decanted into a nearby school that had available space.

The new building is traditional construction (steel frame) and benefits from thermal mass keeping it cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Baxall’s design team employed a passive approach to the use of natural daylighting wherever possible; most occupied spaces have direct natural daylight through external glazing to meet daylighting requirements set by the DfE Output Specification. Energy efficient LED lighting/controls (including absence detection/automatic daylight dimming) further minimise energy waste.

Baxall installed low carbon, highly efficient air source heat pumps (ASHPs) with ceiling-mounted radiant panels (which work efficiently with ASHPs as they require low distribution temperatures as opposed to conventional radiators). Air handling units in classrooms incorporate heat exchangers, with triple glazing on external windows and doors to minimise heat loss, maximise daylight and minimise heat absorption, plus maximise internal heat gains via energy efficient LED lighting and insulating heating/hot water pipes. High performance glazing allows 70% daylight to enter the building whilst limiting solar gains to 40%, minimising the risk of summertime overheating. High windows also maximise daylight penetration to mitigate the need for artificial lighting.

All façade-facing rooms have natural ventilation with hybrid ventilation systems and with crossflow in all teaching spaces/main hall, thus avoiding mechanical ventilation. The building is equipped with separate service zones to minimise energy waste in unused areas when certain zones are utilised for out-of-hours community activities. It includes automatic monitoring of all energy sub-meters, with alarms set to notify facilities staff if energy consumption exceeds typical levels.

Due to the school’s users being of Islamic faith a bespoke ablution block was designed and installed, customised to accommodate pre-prayer needs, with solutions extending beyond standard DfE specifications.

Baxall upheld the golden thread principle by ensuring accurate and accessible information for safety, compliance, and transparency throughout the project lifecycle. For the first time, we utilised Oculo, a construction technology platform that uses 360-degree cameras to capture site progress, enabling real-time visual documentation, remote inspections, and enhanced collaboration among project stakeholders. Oculo proved to be a powerful tool for the client and team, offering real-time reporting that impressed all users, with visual insights showcased at monthly client meetings. Due to its success, we are now using Oculo on all projects, including site visits and inspections.

Following handover, the building is now subject to seasonal commissioning to ensure all systems are working to Baxall-designed/DfE optimum performance targets. The new School meets the DfE’s Urban Greening Factor targets and will achieve a higher urban greening factor (0.35) than Lambeth Council’s target (0.30) via soft landscaping treatments, new trees, intensive green roofs, sedum roofs, perimeter climbers, permeable paving and permeable Tarmac.

The scheme embraces a ‘fabric-first approach’ i.e. the building fabric is constructed in a robust manner with careful design detailing to avoid thermal bridges in insulation layers, thus reducing energy consumption. This is achieved through the building fabric having low U-values (lower than Part L 2021) and high air tightness targets (3m3 per hour, per m2, against the Building Regulations standard of 8m3/hr m2).

Key to the success of the project was collaboration, which was essential throughout the process. To highlight this success, our Contracts Director, Stuart Hardie attended an Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) interview as part of an independent assurance review. The interview focused on our collaborative approach, working closely with the Department for Education (DfE), the School, and the Technical Adviser. This partnership ensured that the project met all requirements, maintained clear communication, and delivered results aligned with the stakeholders’ needs.

In our monthly KPI reports, we consistently achieved top scores for client satisfaction. Comments from the DfE Project Managers included: ‘Baxall continues to be very collaborative whilst also keeping the pupils fully involved in the development of the construction project by celebrating key events such as steel signing and topping out etc.’ and ‘The contractor is transparent when reporting issues and also provides mitigating measures at the same time. The headteacher has communicated that they are very pleased how Baxall has involved the pupils during the construction period and also the continued interaction with the leadership team as well.