The contractor said the prefab model will meet the James Review target of 30% savings through off-site design, manufacture and construction at its Steetley, Nottinghamshire factory.

O’Rourke has held extensive talks with soon-to-be-defunct procurement body Partnership for Schools and is now looking to capitalise on the launch of the £2bn Priority School Building Programme.

Roger Robinson, Laing O’Rourke’s European CEO, said: “While many of our competitors are simply talking about what’s possible, we are delivering our unique sustainable schools solution in the UK today.

“This is possible because of the investment we have made in our state-of-the art manufacturing facility, together with our direct employment model, which gives us the surety and control necessary to build standardised schools better, faster and for less.

“Our approach complements the Government’s recently announced Priority School Building Programme and the wider aims to achieve better buildings and better value”.

David Tonkin, Atkins’ UK managing director added: “Dealing with tightening public sector spending while delivering quality infrastructure is a delicate balancing act and that is particularly true in the education sector where the standard of buildings has a direct relationship to the quality of teaching children receive.

“The design and delivery model Atkins and Laing O’Rourke have now developed is one of the most mature created so far and it optimises quality and cost as well as being carbon efficient.”

O’Rourke is the latest contractor to launch a standardised school system following offerings from Willmott Dixon, Bam, Galliford Try and Wates.