Pictured: Year Five pupils from the Croft Preparatory School
with (back, l-r) Patrick Barrett and Rachael Phillips from MCS and
Barney Thornton, Director of Project Development at the
school
Pupils at a school in Stratford can expect a warm reception when
they take to the stage of their new theatre, thanks to a Midlands
construction firm.
MCS, based in Claverdon near Warwick, has completely rebuilt the
theatre and sports hall at The Croft Preparatory School on Loxley
Road - a building that was originally used by Alveston Kitchens as
a drive-in freezer.
The School - which moved to its present 30-acre site in 1986 -
asked MCS to reconstruct the building around the existing frame,
that was put together in the 1950s, and to have it ready in time
for pupils to perform their nativity plays.
The Croft has 450 pupils from Nursery age to 11 years. Mr Barney
Thornton is the Director of Project Development at the School and
is part of the family that has owned The Croft since 1981.
He is delighted with the standard of the new facilities and the
way the project was completed within such a short period of
time.
"The new building looks amazing," said Mr Thornton.
"The original sports hall and theatre had been in use for 25
years and felt very tired.
"We wanted the new facilities built within the existing frame,
in line with our recycling policy, and also to keep costs down.
"The new sports hall and theatre have been reconfigured to allow
for a spacious meeting area, which is both practical and
attractive. We have already received many compliments about it.
"After consultation with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the back
wall of the theatre was designed to absorb sound to prevent echo,
meaning the acoustics are fantastic too. They also advised on our
lighting system, which was fully utilised for our Nativity and
Christmas plays."
Patrick Barrett from MCS was the project manager on this
development and explained how it presented a different set of
challenges to other jobs.
He said: "As well as the need to work to a high standard within
tight time constraints one of the most important requirements of
this task was to cause minimal disruption to the school and the
children.
"In this sense working around an established frame helped us as
we did not need to knock down the existing structure down to start
again and much of what we were doing was self-contained.
"All the work was completed on time, within 16 weeks and we are
thrilled with the results."