Supporting Future Talent: Severfield Adopts the Blue School in Somerset

As part of our community-first approach on the Agratas project – a new battery manufacturing facility currently under construction in Bridgwater – Severfield has adopted The Blue School in Somerset, supporting the delivery of the award-winning Design Engineer Construct! (DEC) Learning Programme.

This partnership reflects our commitment to social value and to investing in people and places for the long term. By working closely with students and teachers over several years, we aim to support aspiration, raise awareness of future skills needs, and help young people understand the wide range of opportunities available across engineering, manufacturing, and construction.

Building meaningful, long-term partnerships

The 'Adopt a School’ scheme, created by social enterprise Class Of Your Own, is designed to sit alongside their DEC programme and enable the construction industry to form meaningful, long-term relationships with education providers and grow its own future talent pipeline.

Through this scheme, Severfield will work in partnership with Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), Agratas’ construction delivery partner, alongside the wider Agratas site teams. Together, we will support the DEC programme at The Blue School through a structured and sustained programme of engagement, tailored to the needs of both pupils and teaching staff.

Alison Watson, Founder & CEO Class Of Your Own, said:

“Adopting The Blue School gives students and teachers sustained access to a live, nationally significant project, not a one-off intervention. We’re delighted to work alongside Severfield, Sir Robert McAlpine and the wider Agratas team to enable DEC learners to see how engineering, manufacturing and construction come together to deliver clean transport infrastructure at scale. Together, we’ll provide curriculum-ready industry context and fantastic professional support for teachers and their students, building real understanding of skills, pathways and future careers linked directly to the Agratas project.”

Mark Woodlock, Headteacher of the Blue School, said:

“It is a real privilege for The Blue School to be selected to adopt the DEC learning programme alongside the Agratas project. The school highly values the importance of DT, has a very strong reputation for its work in this area and this opportunity to work directly with employers will make a significant difference to the learning of our students. In particular, embedding this landmark Somerset project in a school that aims directly to serve the families in and around Wells is a major boost to the local area. By working together, we’ll support more of our young people to play a significant role in engineering, manufacturing and construction in the local community."

Real-world experience linked to live projects

Our involvement will include direct engagement from Agratas team members, providing:

• Structured classroom support
• Site visits
• Work placement opportunities

All activities will align with DEC learning outcomes, giving students hands-on, practical experience and a clearer understanding of how classroom learning translates into real projects in the build environment and construction sector.

We will also draw on the experience of the Sir Robert McAlpine team, who are currently supporting a successful DEC programme at IKB Academy in Bristol, reinforcing a shared commitment to leaving a positive and lasting legacy in the communities where we work.

Michaela Lindridge, Head of ESG at Severfield, said:

“Creating a lasting legacy means investing in people and places for the long term. By adopting The Blue School in Somerset, we are building a partnership that goes beyond delivering steel in the region. Through consistent engagement, we are supporting DEC students, opening doors to future opportunities and helping to inspire the next generation of engineers and construction professionals.”