The design shown is a compact two-storey building for 420 pupils, with a 26-place nursery. Key features of the design are given below.
- The infant and nursery classrooms are on the ground floor giving direct access to the outdoors; the junior classrooms are on the first floor. Toilets for the youngest pupils are directly off the classrooms for better staff supervision.
- Separate access points around the building ensure there is no congestion at the start and end of the day. Infants can enter directly via their coat storage area and juniors don’t have to pass through the infant suite.
- All classrooms are orthogonal and 7.2m deep, providing sufficient daylight without bringing daylight into the back of the ground floor rooms.
- Services and security are zoned to allow for different uses of the school.
- The classroom and administration suites could form a separate block on a school site where the hall is being retained. Both the classroom and hall suites would be easy to extend.
- The distinction between the hall/kitchen suite and the classroom suite allows the structure of each to be considered separately, maximising cost efficiency.
- Schools can choose whether to have 55m2 junior classrooms and a practical space or 62m2 classrooms and no practical space, within the same area.
- The main reception provides a controlled entry point for visitors with easy access to the hall for after-school community events.
- Ventilation chimneys in the central zone ensure good ventilation of the ground floor, drawing air through the classrooms and up to roof level.
