ISG failure: Bishop’s Stortford High School and Avanti Grange heads reassure families over construction firm’s collapse

The heads of the two Bishop’s Stortford secondary schools hit by the collapse of construction giant ISG have reassured parents and pupils.

Staff and students at Bishop’s Stortford High School, newly relocated from London Road to a new campus at Beaumont Avenue on the St James’ Park estate, are most affected by the contractor filing for administration.

Work is outstanding on several elements of the new facilities – including the sports hall.

On Friday afternoon (Sept 20) head Dale Reeve wrote to families: “I write to let you know about some further frustrating developments on the final stages of building works on our new school site.

“Last night, ISG, the main contractor building our school, announced that they have filed for administration, which is now impacting building projects across the country.

“Today, I have been urgently dealing with the impact of these latest developments on the works that are still yet to be completed on our site.

“I have also been working closely with [education authority] Hertfordshire County Council to understand what our options are to minimise further disruption to students and to get the right people in to finish the works off as quickly as possible.

“The delayed completion of the sports hall is probably the most frustrating aspect and we’re exploring alternative temporary solutions to ensure we meet the needs of our students in terms of sports provision.”

He promised to update parents when more information was available. Even though bleacher seating in the main hall has not been completed, the school is pressing ahead with its planned standards evenings from Wednesday September 25 to Tuesday October 1.

Mr Reeve said: “As we do not have all our on-site parking yet, we have had to slightly adapt the timings for some of the evenings.”

He concluded: “Once again, I thank you for your continued support, and while this is yet another challenge for us to overcome, I am so encouraged by the way our students have quickly adapted to the new site and have come back ready to learn.”

At Avanti Grange, built on Newland Avenue as part of the Stortford Fields and St Michael’s Hurst estates, staff and students have occupied the new buildings for just over a year. However, ISG’s contract included a new bridge over the A120 to connect to playing fields.

Head Rhys Jones expressed sympathy with the 3,000 ISG staff who have lost their jobs.

He explained: “At Avanti Grange, we are in the very fortunate position that the building is complete and the school is fully functional, with just a few minor snagging issues to be resolved.

“In terms of the bridge, Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) is urgently working with its partners to minimise disruption and ensure any outstanding works are completed as soon as possible.”

The school is working with global consultancy and construction firm MACE.

Mr Jones said: “I have been in contact with HCC and MACE throughout the morning and we are already putting together plans to finish the small number of outstanding items. I would like to thank HCC and MACE for their continued support and proactivity regarding this matter.”