Kier, Specialist Schools and the Framework Advantage

Across the UK, local authorities are turning to specialist frameworks to accelerate the delivery of purpose-built education facilities for pupils with additional needs. 

As demand for dedicated learning spaces grows, Kier and other construction partners with proven education sector experience, are increasingly appointed through collaborative procurement routes designed to speed up delivery while maintaining design quality. 

These projects demonstrate how framework-based procurement, community engagement and specialist design expertise combine to create inclusive, purpose-built environments that serve pupils with complex needs for decades to come.

Framework procurement speeds delivery

Major Works Frameworks, such as the one managed by framework provider Pagabo, allow local authorities to appoint experienced contractors without running a full open tender process for every project. 

This model is particularly valuable in the education sector, where demand for specialist school places has been rising steadily across many English counties.

Through Pagabo’s framework Hertfordshire County Council has appointed Kier to deliver a new satellite provision of Amwell View school in Buntingford.

"The appointment of Kier through the Major Works Framework marks an important step in delivering much-needed specialist education provision for Hertfordshire," says David Llewellyn, Construction and Infrastructure Director at Pagabo. “This project demonstrates the value of collaborative procurement in bringing forward high-quality, inclusive facilities that meet the needs of local communities.”

Framework routes often offer reduced procurement timelines, established relationships with public sector clients, and the ability to bring sector-specific expertise to bear from the earliest design stages. 

Contractors with a track record in SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) provision are especially well placed to advise councils on layout, accessibility and therapeutic space requirements that go beyond standard classroom design.

Typical considerations that shape a specialist school build include:

• Single-storey layouts that support ease of movement for pupils with mobility needs
• Outdoor learning areas designed to promote sensory and social development
• Accessible car parking, including dedicated electric vehicle charging provision
• Flexible teaching blocks that can accommodate profound and multiple learning difficulties
• Close coordination with school leadership throughout design and construction

Designing for complex pupil needs

Specialist school design has evolved significantly, moving beyond compliance-driven accessibility toward environments that actively support wellbeing, independence and communication. 

Headteachers and education leaders are increasingly involved as design stakeholders rather than end-users consulted only after plans are finalised.

"Our ambition for Buntingford is much greater than simply creating a new building. We want to create an exceptional learning community in which every young person is recognised as an individual and supported to develop the skills, confidence, independence and communication they need to fulfil their potential and prepare for adulthood," says Neil Ward, Headteacher of Amwell View School. 

The success of such projects are not only measured in square metreage delivered on time and on budget, but in how well a finished building serves pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties over its operational lifetime.

Building long-term sector relationships

Beyond individual contracts, framework-based delivery in the education sector tends to strengthen long-term relationships between contractors, procurement bodies and local authorities. 

Repeat appointments through the same framework allow construction firms to refine their approach to specialist education builds, applying lessons learned from previous school sites to new commissions.

For local authorities, this continuity offers confidence that a contractor understands the specific regulatory, safeguarding and design standards that apply to SEND provision, which differ meaningfully from mainstream school construction.

It builds a portfolio of specialist education credentials that can support future framework bids across other regions.

As demand for specialist school places continues to rise across the UK, the construction industry should expect councils to lean further into collaborative procurement models, rewarding partners who can combine technical delivery capability with genuine sensitivity to the needs of the pupils these buildings ultimately serve.

Kier’s key business parters: 

Pagabo

Pagabo manages national procurement frameworks used by public sector bodies to appoint construction and infrastructure partners, including the Major Works framework. It positions itself as a facilitator of collaborative procurement, helping local authorities and other contracting bodies bring forward high-quality, inclusive facilities more efficiently than traditional open tendering routes allow. 

Odyssey Projects 

Odyssey Projects Limited is involved in the delivery of specialist education facilities, working alongside contractors, councils and schools during project milestones such as groundbreaking events, supporting the coordination required to bring specialist provision from design into construction.

Scape

Scape is one of Kier's established national framework partners, alongside bodies such as Pagabo, Crown Commercial Service and the Department for Education. Scape enables public sector organisations to appoint contractors for construction and consultancy work without running individual competitive tenders, supporting long-term delivery relationships across sectors including education.