While much of the industry slows down in August, education construction speeds up. Campuses and schools work to a hard September deadline, so summer is the one window to get on site and build at pace before students return.
Our Construction Project Leads Platform data shows that of all UK construction projects that started on site this summer with a main contractor appointed, around one in six were in education – a steady, dependable slice of the market that keeps going when other sectors wind down.
Below are five of the biggest education projects on site this summer, with the key details and main contractor for each.
1. University of St Andrews – New College
Value: £142m
Location: St Andrews, Fife
Main contractor: Balfour Beatty
Start date: Q3 2026 (Estimated)
Project ID: 12865303
Topping the list is the conversion of the former Madras College building into a new academic college for one of the UK’s oldest universities. The scheme combines careful restoration of the listed buildings with new-build development, public realm and landscaping — a substantial, heritage-sensitive investment in teaching and research space, with Balfour Beatty leading delivery.
2. University of St Andrews — New North Haugh Building (Digital Nexus Campus)
Value: £60m
Location: St Andrews, Fife
Main contractor: Balfour Beatty
Start date: July 2026 (confirmed on-site)
Project ID: 12885166
St Andrews appears twice, and for good reason — the university is in the middle of a significant estate investment, with Balfour Beatty on both jobs. This 7,000 sq m, three-storey teaching and learning facility, part of the Digital Nexus Campus, is confirmed on site and geared towards the digital and data-focused skills the sector increasingly demands.
3. Vermont School — School Buildings & Outdoor Play Area
Value: £29m
Location: Southampton
Main contractor: Morgan Sindall
Start date: Q3 2026 (confirmed on-site)
Project ID: 12813942
A brand-new school scheme delivering teaching buildings alongside outdoor play, sport and recreation space, following demolition of the existing site.
Image source: www.southampton.gov.uk
4. The Beeches SEN Free School
Value: £19m
Location: Chatham, Kent
Main contractor: Morgan Sindall
Start date: July 2026 (confirmed on-site)
Project ID: 12509017
A new 50-pupil special educational needs free school, built adjacent to the Rowans Academy site as part of the government’s Free School Programme.
5. Garendon Park Primary School
Value: £11.8m
Location: Loughborough, Leicestershire
Main contractor: Willmott Dixon
Start date: Late July 2026 (confirmed on-site)
Project ID: 12876790
A new primary school in Loughborough delivered by Leicestershire County Council, with Willmott Dixon as main contractor — confirmed on site and pressing ahead through the summer. It’s the clearest example of the seasonal squeeze on this list: a school being built to a hard September-term deadline (late July 2027), exactly the kind of calendar-driven work that keeps the education pipeline busy while other sectors ease off.
Image source: www.aandgarchitects.com
The bigger picture
What this snapshot shows is the sheer breadth of education construction: a landmark university college, a new digital teaching facility, a new-build school in Southampton, a SEN free school and a new primary school — spread across Scotland and England, and ranging from £11.8m to £142m. It’s a sector that keeps delivering through the quieter summer months precisely because the demand never really stops — there’s always another cohort arriving in September.
If you want to see which education projects are coming through the pipeline in your region, from early planning right through to on-site, that’s exactly what our Construction Project Leads Platform can give you visibility of.
Claim your 10 free project leads today and let our construction experts show you the education opportunities on your doorstep.
