From tired slabs to fresh tarmac — a major school surfacing project in Bedfordshire
When Sandy Secondary School in Sandy, Bedfordshire came to us with a vision to completely overhaul their external courtyards, it was exactly the kind of project we love — substantial scope, a clear transformation, and a real improvement to the daily environment for hundreds of young people.
This was a long-term relationship with the school, with works spanning from spring 2025 through to early 2026, making it one of our most significant school projects in recent years.
The Challenge
As you can see from the before photos, the existing surfaces were a mix of ageing concrete slabs and block paving — functional at one point, but by now showing their age. The slabs had settled unevenly, there were issues with drainage and surface water, and the aesthetic frankly didn’t match the school’s new build additions. With new modern buildings going up on site, the old surfacing around them was looking increasingly out of place.
The brief covered three distinct areas of the school grounds:
The Rear Courtyard — a significant slab-covered area behind the main building
The Front Courtyard —the primary pedestrian space and student entrance zone
A new rear footpath — connecting key areas of the school site
What We Did
Our team stripped out the existing slab surfaces and carried out a full tarmac programme across the courtyards. The work included:
Excavation and removal — of the existing concrete slab surfaces
Sub-base preparation —to ensure a stable, well-drained foundation
New tarmacadam surfacing throughout — giving that clean, consistent dark finish you can see in the after photos
Linear drainage channels — set flush into the new surface — essential for managing surface water across these large flat areas
Block paving edging and tie-ins — where the new tarmac met existing paved areas and building thresholds
New rear footpath — a separate element providing a safe pedestrian route to the back of the school
The fibre works — carried out as a final element of the project in March 2026 — ensured all the fine detail and edge finishing was completed to a high standard.
The Results
The transformation is striking. What were cracked, patchy slabs and tired block paving areas are now clean, uniform tarmac surfaces with proper linear drainage running through them. The new surfacing integrates neatly with the school’s newer buildings and gives the whole site a far more cohesive, professional appearance.
Practically speaking, the school now has:
Better drainage — no more standing water pooling around the buildings
Safer pedestrian surfaces —level, consistent, and without the trip hazards that settlement creates in old slabbed areas
Low maintenance —tarmac done right simply doesn't need the ongoing attention that ageing paving does
A smarter first impression —the Student Entrance area in particular now looks the part
