Publication Date: 25-06-2025 09:00
Students visit Oakham development to get insight into how new homes are built
Engineering students from Catmose College were given a behind-the-scenes insight into what goes into constructing a new-build home on a visit to a Bellway development in Rutland.
Two groups totalling 32 Year 10 pupils from the school in Oakham made the short trip across town to the housebuilder’s Barleywoods development, off Braunston Road.
The groups, led by Mark Thompson, Director of Design and Technology at Catmose College, were welcomed to the development by site manager Tom Keane and sales advisor Katie Knight. The students, aged 14 and 15, were given a health and safety presentation before embarking on a tour of different properties.
During the two hour-long visits, the students were shown a number of plots which were at different stages of construction, including a ‘first fix’ property where features such as piping, wiring and blockwork are still visible and the ‘second fix’ or post-plaster stage which includes sinks, baths and other fixtures such as floors, internal doors, sockets and switches.
To illustrate a finished property, the pupils also looked inside the two showhomes – the four-bedroom Jeweller and five-bedroom Watchmaker house designs.
Mark said: “The visit offered students a valuable insight into careers in construction – from roles of different trades to those in site management. Having the opportunity to visit a working site and see houses in different stages of construction made the roles of the trades and the complexity of the builds clearer. Elements of construction directly relevant to the courses being followed were clearly explained including interpreting working drawings and scheduling works.
“The students left with a clear understanding of some of the exciting career opportunities available in the construction sector and a small insight into the attention to detail necessary on an award-winning site. Our thanks to the staff at Bellway’s Barleywoods development for organising such an engaging morning.”
Michaela Perkins, Sales Manager at Bellway Eastern Counties, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to welcome the two groups of students from Catmose College to Barleywoods and we hope they enjoyed their visit as much as the site team enjoyed showing them around.
“These visits were an opportunity for us to share what we are doing here with younger members of the community in Oakham. The students were fully engaged and seemed to appreciate being given the chance to see a property at different stages of construction, clearly illustrating the process from ‘first fix’ to a completed new-build home.
“We are always on the lookout for talented young people who want to work in construction and hope this day served to tempt some of the students to consider an exciting career in the building industry.”
Bellway Eastern Counties is building 62 new homes at Barleywoods. For more information, call the sales team on 01572 200038 or visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/eastern-counties/barleywoods.
