Portakabin goes back to school

UK-based Portakabin Hire has delivered a record number of school buildings and classrooms to accommodate around 22000 school children in the last academic year.

Over the summer, Portakabin installed more than 1000 modular units in readiness for the autumn term, accommodating 9000 children.

According to the Local Government Association, despite the creation of an additional 90000 primary school places, an extra 13,000 places will still be needed by 2017/18, and a further 80716 new secondary places will be required to meet the growing demand by 2019/20.

Robert Snook, director and general manager of Portakabin Hire, said, “The rising birth rates and demographic changes are still putting acute pressure on primary school places nationwide but particularly in London and the South East.

"The provision of modular teaching accommodation for short-term use is a highly effective solution that more LEAs and schools are turning to. This allows them to react very quickly to place planning issues, which can be very difficult to predict. And we can help ensure there is no compromise on the quality of the classrooms by providing education environments of the very highest standards.”

The company said its teaching accommodation for hire could be configured and fitted out to the exact requirements of each individual school and site – as learning clusters, standalone teaching blocks and modern classrooms.

The approach was said to be completely flexible – classrooms can be linked to the existing school, the floor area can be increased or reduced in line with local needs and the demand for places, and the buildings can remain in use for as long as needed.