St Michael’s: ecology and asbestos work
Five roofs were improved at St Michael’s RC Primary School, part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, according to Roofing Today. The work included a thermal upgrade. The school dates from 1795 and is among the oldest in the Hexham and Newcastle Diocese.
Bats and nesting birds were found at the site, while the existing roof also contained asbestos. Hodgson Sayers brought in ecologists and specialist asbestos contractors to address these issues before roofing work began. The contractor said this required coordination alongside the planned building improvements.
St Anne’s: access and specialist roofing
At St Anne’s CofE Primary School in Bishop Auckland, the contractor delivered the opening phase of a re-roofing programme for Durham County Council. This included thermal improvements to roof spaces and work on a large polycarbonate section above an outdoor area where pupils play.
The site was landlocked, creating restrictions on the movement of materials. A forklift was used to transport them around the school. Some parts of the project also required bespoke roofing systems and operatives with the skills to install them.
The team comprised six operatives, two of whom were roofing apprentices, with a further experienced senior roofing operative working alongside them. The staffing arrangement put apprentices on a project involving both restricted access and specialist roof work.
Delivery within the school holidays
Managing director John Sayers said school projects required contractors to understand how the buildings were used and plan around their needs. He said holiday working periods left limited time to finish safely and meet the required standard. The company said carrying out the programme over the summer break reduced disruption to schools.
Sayers said the demands varied between sites. He identified older buildings, specialist requirements and difficult access as factors that shaped project planning. His comments linked the delivery of school work to managing technical and logistical issues within the available working period.
Hodgson Sayers was established in 1979 and has a workforce of about 100. It works across the North of England and the Midlands, with a base in Nottingham. The company described its order book as strong and said its portfolio of public- and private-sector contracts was growing.
Alongside roofing, the business undertakes civil engineering and building maintenance. Its other services include heritage conservation and security products and systems.