Willmott Dixon to rebuild Bramhall High School in £46m project
Willmott Dixon has been appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver a £46m rebuild of Bramhall High School in Stockport, with construction due to start in October 2026.
Designed by Sheppard Robson, the project will create a new three-storey, 9,252m² secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16, including specialist provision for pupils with special educational needs.
A retained single-storey block will also be remodelled, while six existing blocks will be demolished once the new building is complete.
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The school will remain operational throughout construction. Willmott Dixon has been working with the DfE, Bramhall High School and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, which owns the site, since May 2025 to plan the works around the live school environment.
New school building
The new building will be accompanied by external works including sports provision, car parking, fencing and hard and soft landscaping.
Low-carbon technologies specified for the completed school include photovoltaic panels, ground source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points.
Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2026, with the new school building due for completion in August 2028. Overall site completion is expected in September 2029.
Mike Walmsley, North West Operations Director at Willmott Dixon, said: “We’re delighted to be delivering the new Bramhall High School and to be playing a part in creating an excellent new learning environment for pupils.
“Bramhall will be rebuilt around a school that stays open every single day of the programme. Sequencing the new building, the demolition of six blocks and the external works so that teaching is never interrupted is the discipline that will define this project, and it is the reason the DfE and the school brought us in more than a year before we start on site.”
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“This is our third major Department for Education appointment in the North West inside twelve months, and our third recent project in Stockport. That continuity gives us a local supply chain and a local workforce we can draw on from day one, rather than building both from scratch.”
Local employment and skills
Willmott Dixon will prioritise spending with local businesses and create local employment opportunities during the project.
The contractor also plans to deliver more than 400 hours of engagement with the school through work experience, skills sessions, trade placements and interventions for Pupil Premium students.
Bramhall High School headteacher Paul Williams said: “This rebuild is a transformative moment in our school’s history. Working with the Department for Education and Willmott Dixon, we are creating a state-of-the-art school that reflects the ambition, resilience and excellence that define Bramhall High School. After a challenging period due to RAAC, this project marks a bold new chapter, one that will benefit students for decades to come.”
