Esh Construction has won a tender to deliver key refurbishment work that will significantly revitalise St Anthony’s Primary School in Johnstone.

The company has been appointed by Renfrewshire Council to carry out the £3.6 million extension project after its tender was approved by the local authority’s finance, resources and customer services policy Board.

The council had identified the Hallhill Road school as “requiring a major refurbishment to upgrade its infrastructure” before noting that Esh Construction had submitted “the most economically advantageous tender”.

Livingston-based Esh is now scheduled to commence work this spring and is targeting a 64-week duration to the project, with completion earmarked for May 2019.

Works will include the building of an extension onto the school’s existing north façade, providing a larger entrance for its 193 pupils, while the exterior will benefit from a new flat roof finish.

The internal refurbishment works will meanwhile include new ceilings, floor finishes, acoustic insulation and decoration throughout the building.

All the classrooms will see teaching walls introduced that will incorporate interactive white boards, while offices and meeting rooms will be reconfigured with features including new staff toilets, storage, and an I.T. server hub room.

Classrooms will be further enhanced by the introduction of new canopies with roller shutters which will lead out to paving areas, helping to promote outdoor learning.

Esh will also add new central heating pipework and radiators to ensure better energy efficiency, with heightened access realised throughout.

As part of its project delivery, Esh has committed to realising significant community benefits, including work experience placements, further education visits, a careers event, and financial support for a local project.

Esh Construction’s regional director for Scotland, Gerard McMahon, said: “We are proud to have won this exciting refurbishment project at St Anthony’s Primary after emerging as the best tender from a strong pool of candidates.

“Renfrewshire Council recognised the significant depth of experience and great value that we could offer, and we now look forward to delivering the best possible learning environments for pupils that will allow them to achieve their potential.

“As an Added Value developer that always seeks to give back to the communities in which we operate, we also welcome the great opportunities that this project affords to realise wider benefits in the area.

“It’s pleasing that we’re able to adopt such a thoroughly collaborative approach that will allow us to engage with pupils, staff and the community to ensure a very joined-up approach.

“As an industry, it’s essential that we reach young people if we are to keep growing and reaching for higher standards – and projects like St Anthony’s represent a fantastic way to do that.”

Esh is building on its strong reputation for expertise in the education sector and believes that educational buildings should be a focal point for communities, providing a safe, stimulating and sustainable environment for all.

The company was recently awarded the contract to completely transform Heriot-Watt University’s Cameron Smail Library into a modern and welcoming learning environment for the Edinburgh institution’s students, lecturers and support staff.

Esh – which delivers live sites, refurbishment, and new build projects within a number of sectors – is stripping back the existing building, before constructing a new layout with replacement fixtures, fittings and decoration.

The company also recently delivered two further Edinburgh projects - a new build classroom block at Liberton Primary School in the city’s south-east, and refurbishment of an existing primary school to create additional classroom space at Corstorphine Primary School in the west end.