BUILDINGS, MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT Net zero school estates


Schools play an important role in decarbonising our communities and ensuring that local council estates meet ambitious net zero targets. We recently worked with Essex County Council on several net zero, new-build projects at Colne Community School & College in Colchester; Clacton County High School in Clacton-on-Sea; and Sweyne Park School in Rayleigh, which were delivered using modern offsite forms of construction.


The pre-fabricated nature of this approach meant the schools were constructed quickly, efficiently, and to a high standard while minimising disruption to the live school sites. Utilising modern methods of construction assisted in these schools achieving net zero carbon in operation, which was a first for the county.


lessons. To ensure the space is fit for purpose, spectator seating, changing facilities sized for adult teams, and equipment storage for community groups should be incorporated into the plans.


Schools are often important sites for local healthcare services, so many require purpose-built clinical spaces. Dedicated health wings can house school nurses during term while providing GP surgeries, dental clinics, or mental health services year-round. Designing these spaces to clinical specifications from inception is a more cost- effective route than adapting classrooms later. Of course, the educational role that schools play can provide valuable benefits beyond the traditional daily use. Flexible designs can enable them to become centres for lifelong learning, with classrooms equipped for evening vocational courses and dedicated spaces for childcare creating impactful adult education facilities. Throughout all of this, inclusivity must be embedded into the plan. This incorporates a wide range of considerations, including wheelchair ramps and lifts, acoustics suitable for hearing aid users, lighting for partially sighted residents, Changing Places facilities, and culturally appropriate spaces.


Building for SEND students


Having recently constructed six SEND schools in the East of England, we’ve seen how important it is to create great learning spaces for SEND pupils that alleviates the growing pressure on local educational infrastructure to provide this specialist teaching support.


Building effective SEND classrooms and facilities requires factoring in specific capabilities. For example, children with cognitive and learning difficulties may require sensory and physical stimulation. Those with behavioural and emotional issues will need more space than perhaps found in a traditional classroom, while those with sensory impairment may require specialist equipment and teaching aids such as hydrotherapy pools, sensory rooms, and immersion rooms that use projection imagery. Independent living areas designed to help students prepare for adulthood may also be required onsite.


The growing need for SEND provision means many schools have expanded their capacity. This was the case at Castledon SEN School in Wickford, where we delivered a new two-


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storey teaching block with eight multi-purpose classrooms, a sports hall, a food technology room, a science lab, an art studio, physiotherapy facilities, a library, and office space, which increased the school’s capacity by 82 places, to a total of 196.


A practical consideration when building on or near the site of an operational school is to factor in the noise, dust, and logistics of construction to minimise disruption to the school’s daily life. Often, this means undertaking key elements of a project during holidays or out of school hours. SEND schools may require a higher level of in- built operational flexibility. This is because pupil requirements could change over time, meaning buildings may need to be adapted accordingly. Therefore, it’s important to gather as much information from the end user as possible while taking a long-term view and reflecting potential changes that might impact the cohort’s makeup and needs over the long term.


An issue that can arise is how to square the circle between flexible and bespoke spaces with the need for standardised elements to meet building costs. While standardisation often works for mainstream schools, this approach may not be right for SEND buildings, which must meet the needs of specific cohorts with potentially vastly differing and complex needs. Early engagement, discussion and collaboration is essential to ensure the specification, budget, and long-term functionality are all aligned.


Collaborating across communities A through-line in the school projects we’ve delivered, is that collaboration and early engagement sit at the heart of successful delivery. Creating open and collaborative dialogue that brings together the council, and often the DfE, with the headteacher, staff, parents, and local community representatives as well as the architect, planning, and construction teams is vital.


SEND schools particularly benefit from open dialogue that enables stakeholders to share insights and learning, establishing the right trajectory from inception. Engaging all parties early and allocating adequate design time negates potential issues while creating fertile ground for innovative solutions. This collaborative approach during planning and design generates cost and timing benefits throughout the project lifecycle. Involving young people in the process and enabling them to share their thoughts can be an incredibly powerful way of helping them to feel more comfortable with the transition to a new building or space and enabling them to deal with the change positively.


While this all underlines the long list of considerations and voices that need to be aligned, getting it right enables schools to evolve beyond traditional classroom blocks to become genuine community anchors that double up as versatile and long-term civic assets able to meet the interconnected challenges facing modern communities.


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