A school shaped around individuals

The design process began with listening. We worked alongside the school community to understand daily routines and specific requirements, using ‘day in the life’ studies and spatial analysis to shape the brief. The result is a layout that prioritises accessibility and calm, while supporting a variety of learning and therapy needs.

The school is arranged around a central landscaped courtyard, with all spaces on a single level to remove barriers to movement. Shared facilities sit to the north and east in distinctive bronze-clad volumes, close to a dedicated vehicle drop-off zone. To the south and west, clusters of classrooms open onto private gardens and outdoor sensory play areas.

Within the plan is a social ‘heartspace’ that links learning clusters and shared facilities. This space combines indoor and outdoor areas for informal learning and interaction. The entrance sequence is designed to reduce anxiety, allowing students to move gradually from a sheltered courtyard into the building. The courtyard itself offers opportunities for outdoor play, dining and sensory engagement, with planting and surfaces chosen for year-round accessibility.

Specialist facilities include therapy and sensory rooms, a gamelan room, hydrotherapy and swimming pools. Flexible classrooms can be adapted using folding screens to support both individual and group learning.

A natural material palette of clay brick, timber and weathered bronze cladding creates a tactile, calming environment that sits comfortably within its green setting. Generous windows and rooflights bring controlled daylight into classrooms and circulation spaces, while maintaining visual connections to the courtyard and surrounding landscape.

The design moves beyond basic accessibility. It creates an environment tailored to students with the most complex needs, while welcoming the wider campus and local community through shared facilities and anticipating future change.

The school continues to be recognised by Ofsted as Outstanding, and also achieved the Genuine Partnerships Gold Award for outstanding practice in co-production. The report highlighted the collaborative approach taken during the design of the building, reinforcing its commitment to inclusion. Inspectors described the school as ‘a truly inclusive and person-centred provision, where every young person is recognised as an individual with agency and autonomy’.