General Introduction to Project
St Andrew's is a six-classroom primary school with nursery. It replaces the older school and associated temporary accommodation which was too small for the current school roll and therefore no longer fit for purpose. To accommodate the larger school, the new school was relocated on a site behind an existing community facility.
This case study is included as an example of a small but well planned single stream school. The school is built in a linear form in masonry construction, which maximises the opportunity for flexibility in terms of the mix of spaces provided and the ability to expand the school if required. The approach taken in this building also maximises the potential to fully exploit the use of natural light and ventilation by virtue of the internal layout and connections between spaces, allowing light and air to flow through the building. In addition to bright airy classrooms, good lighting and ventilation are also achieved in the school's main hall, by the use of a diaphragm wall construction system, as opposed to the more typical steel frame approach, which provided an opportunity for tall and slender, deeply recessed windows, expressing the structure of the walls and providing a degree of shading.
The design is a simple and economic layout with a central double-height communal teaching area, which sits between the two rows of classroom spaces. All children enter the school through one entrance at one end of the building into a double-height entrance hall with a curved wall, which provides access to all areas of the school.
The school manages to comfortably accommodate features such as a library and tutorial rooms in a learning support area. The school has an Additional Support Needs (ASN) unit comprising a suite of three rooms where five children are currently taught. The smaller of these rooms is used for language and music therapy. These rooms are super-insulated as they were originally designed for children with hearing impairments.
The communal space between classrooms is vibrant with changing effects of light, noise and activity - including the school's ICT facilities which are accessible by all children. Large domed rooflights allow daylight into the space but also serve as circular apertures framing views to the sky. The impact of these large openings cutting through the ceiling is heightened by a central line of large reflective circular discs. This lighting feature causes light to bounce and disperse from wall-mounted lamps which are spread evenly throughout the space.
This school demonstrates the high quality of flexibility, design, facilities and environment that can be achieved in a small single stream primary.