Case Study: Education - complete electrical upgrade
Client: The Pinnacle Learning Trust
Sector: Education
Budget: £136,273
Completed: October 2025
Services Used
- Project management
- Electrical Engineering
- Fire Alarm Engineer
- Decorators
- Cleaning Team
Alexandra Park Junior School in Oldham, part of The Pinnacle Learning Trust, serves over 350 pupils from Year 3 to Year 6.
The school’s existing electrical infrastructure had reached the end of its serviceable life and required a complete upgrade to ensure safety, reliability, and compliance with modern standards. Funding was secured through the Trust’s School Condition Allocation (SCA) to complete these essential works, with consultancy support from LMM LTD.
Contract Arrangements
This scheme was successfully competitively tendered by Meel Group as principle contractor under a JCT Minor Works contract.
Project Aims:
The project was undertaken to ensure the school’s electrical and lighting infrastructure complies with current statutory requirements and recognised industry standards.
These included: BS 7671:2018 (IET Wiring Regulations, 18th Edition) and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.
The lighting installation was also designed in line with best practice guidance, including CIBSE LG2: Lighting for Education, with attention given to maintaining appropriate UGR (Unified Glare Rating) values to minimise glare and support visual comfort in teaching spaces.
As part of the upgrade, new lighting controls were installed to optimise:
- Energy efficiency
- Provide greater flexibility in classroom use
- Ensure consistent illumination levels throughout the building
In addition to achieving compliance, the works were intended to extend the serviceable life of the electrical systems, improve overall safety and reliability, and provide a brighter, more comfortable, and effective learning environment for staff and pupils.
Scope of Works:
- Electrical lighting installation
- Lighting controls installation
- Ceiling removal
- Ceiling repair
- Decoration
- Fire alarm alterations
- Cleaning
Expansion of the original project:
As part of the project, the existing egg-crate ceilings in the corridors were removed to open the space and maximise the natural daylight provided by the existing skylights.
During this process, we identified damage around the skylights caused by historic water ingress. The project scope was subsequently extended to include repair work in the affected areas, followed by a full redecoration of the ceilings.
These measures not only addressed the underlying issues but also enhanced the overall brightness and visual quality of the internal environment, creating a more welcoming and uplifting atmosphere for staff and pupils.
Health and Safety
At the Meel Group we take Health & Safety very seriously and all RAMs were in place. This project involved working at heights and height access equipment was used in line with safety protocols. The scheme also required electrically safe isolations.
No accidents or near misses occurred during the project.
Results:
The School and Trust have expressed their gratitude for the successful project, with the works being completed within a short time frame and to a high standard. The project was delivered on schedule as well as on budget.
Project feedback:
I would like to thank the Meel Group for their standards, communication and commitment throughout this extensive project. I felt confident that the job would be completed on time due to the approach of the team and the commitment to the job. I was kept informed from start to finish and always felt I knew where the job was up to. The director and leaders of the Meel Group are friendly and approachable. I felt that nothing I asked was too much trouble. I would certainly recommend them for any large electrical contract work.
Mandy Stevenson
Office ManagerAlexandra Park Junior School
