Main contractor appointed for £40m Norfolk prep school job

Independent school Gresham’s has appointed Pentaco Construction as main contractor for its £40m prep school development.

The Norfolk school said Pentaco would deliver the design-and-build contract to relocate the existing prep school to the new Dyson Campus, formerly Holt Hall.

The £40m scheme is backed by investment from businessman Sir James Dyson, a Gresham’s alumnus, and is due to open in September 2027.

Construction work has begun, with restoration of the Grade II-listed Holt Hall progressing alongside groundworks and landscaping works.

Norwich-based LSI Architects has designed the scheme.

The project will see a new teaching building constructed adjacent to the Victorian hall, which will be restored to form the centrepiece of the Gresham’s campus.

The extension has been designed to reflect surrounding woodland and draws inspiration from Dyson’s D9 research building in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Gresham’s said the new campus will provide facilities for pupils aged seven to 13.

Plans include new science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics facilities, as well as specialist laboratories, a dedicated music centre and sports facilities including a pavilion and rugby and cricket pitches.

Sustainability measures include solar panels, low-carbon heating and cooling using a ground source heat pump, and an irrigation system supplied by recycled rainwater.

The new building will be naturally ventilated, Gresham’s added.

Andrew Grady, managing director at £46m-turnover Pentaco, said the design-and-build job “brings together the best of both worlds: an ultra-modern educational facility alongside the careful conservation of the much-loved historic Holt Hall”.

Gresham’s said local subcontractors are supporting the scheme’s delivery, such as Denny’s Construction (Sheringham) and Canham Consulting (Norwich).