Bramhall High School, Stockport

A new chapter for Bramhall High School

Willmott Dixon has been appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver a £46m rebuild of Bramhall High School in Stockport, a comprehensive, mixed school for 11- to 16-year-olds with specialist provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). Secured through the DfE Construction Framework, the scheme will create a new three-storey, 9,252m² school building designed by Sheppard Robson.

Construction starts in October 2026. The new school building is scheduled to open in August 2028, in time for the new academic year, with the wider site completing in September 2029.

What we are delivering

• A new three-storey, 9,252m² secondary school for 11- to 16-year-olds, including specialist SEN provision.
• Remodelling of a retained single-storey block as part of the new campus.
• Demolition of six existing blocks once the new building is complete.
• New sports provision, car parking, fencing and hard and soft landscaping.
• Low-carbon technologies including photovoltaic panels, ground source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points.

Delivered inside a live school

Bramhall High School will remain open and operating as normal throughout. Building a new secondary school within the boundary of a live, operational school is the defining challenge of the project: the new building, the demolition of six blocks and the external works must all be sequenced so that teaching is never interrupted.

That is why we have been working alongside the DfE, the school and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, which owns the site, since May 2025. An extended preconstruction period of 17 months before we start on site is ensuring the works can be carried out seamlessly in this environment.

Local roots, lasting value

Bramhall is our third recent project in Stockport. We delivered Stockport Interchange and the Viaduct Park above it for Transport for Greater Manchester, and are completing the £20m Marple Community Hub for Stockport Council. That continuity gives us a local supply chain and a local workforce to draw on from day one.

We will prioritise spend with local businesses and create local employment opportunities, alongside more than 400 hours of engagement with the school through work experience, skills sessions, trade placements and targeted interventions for Pupil Premium students – raising aspirations and helping students thrive.

Our record with the DfE

Bramhall is our third major DfE appointment in the North West inside twelve months, following the £61m rebuild of The Mosslands School in Wallasey and the £39m block replacement at Hopwood Hall College's Rochdale campus. For the DfE, we have also delivered the net zero carbon in operation Tarleton Academy in Preston and Brian Clarke Academy in Oldham.

What people are saying:

“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.

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.”

Mike Walmsley, North West Operations Director, Willmott Dixon

“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.”

Paul Williams, Headteacher, Bramhall High School