School visits local Lincolnshire housing development

Pupils from Waltham Toll Bar Academy recently traded the classroom for the construction site, visiting Barratt Homes’ Wigmore Park development.

Pupils from Waltham Toll Bar Academy that have shown an interest in building, construction and architecture roles recently visited Wigmore Park. The students took part in a careers talk and site tour to get a behind-the-scenes look into the housebuilding process.

Barratt Homes offered the students insights into the various stages of building a house, from initial foundations to finished structures, and highlighted the sustainable features integrated into the homes.

Phillip Dickinson, Executive Principal at Waltham Toll Bar Academy, said: “We’d like to thank the Barratt Homes team for being so welcoming and hosting such a successful visit. It has been a fantastic opportunity for the students to be able to learn about roles in the construction industry, opportunities and the apprenticeship programme the developer offers. We are looking forward to continuing to collaborate with Barratt Homes in the future.”

In March 2025, the Chartered Institute of Building released its insights on attracting more young people to construction roles. Its research revealed a significant gap in career education when it came to the construction industry. While 68% of the 2,000 young people surveyed view construction careers positively, nearly half (47%) reported that construction was not covered in the careers advice they received through educators.

Barratt Homes hopes to bridge this knowledge gap and inspire the next generation of skilled professionals through its site visits and community outreach.

Daniel Smith, Managing Director at Barratt Homes Yorkshire East, said: “We were delighted to host the pupils from Waltham Toll Bar Academy at Wigmore Park. We believe it is our responsibility to support the communities in which we build, and offering first-hand experiences such as site tours and career advice is an essential part of that.

“Construction roles are a key part of the workforce. We rely on our talented teams to uphold our reputation as a five-star, quality housebuilder. It is vital that young people understand the breadth of diverse opportunities that could be available to them in the construction sector. We hope the visit made a lasting impression and will encourage the pupils to consider a future in construction.”

To find out more about Wigmore Park, visit the website at Wigmore Park.