Coalville

Forest School

Using the site's location on the edge of the National Forest as inspiration, and in support of Leicestershire County Council's net zero carbon ambitions, the design of the new school aims to encourage the personal growth and development of its pupils. The children will have an extended opportunity learn both inside and outside the classroom, in specially designed teaching pavilions as well as outdoor classrooms, inspiring a generation to learn from the world around them. The massing of the buildings further builds upon these key features, maximising the engagement and learning opportunity of the children, giving proven routes to higher success.

To facilitate a bespoke, flexible design based on forest school principles, the two-form entry primary school will consist of six single-storey buildings, configured as a series of pavilions. We have reduced reliance on internal corridors to reinvest the footprint into shared learning environments and usable spaces such as cluster libraries and home bases to recharge, with the pupil's wellbeing at the heart of these spaces.

Each pavilion has been specifically orientated in order to maximise the solar path and natural views, with full height glazing and large clerestory windows throughout to enhance the natural lighting into classrooms and reducing the requirement on electric lighting. The site's shadier areas have been reserved for areas for WC, plant, and kitchens.

The six pavilion buildings will feature a mix of pitched and flat roofs and constructed from brick, render, timber and slate rainscreen cladding, complementing the new residential area surrounding the site with a contemporary feel. All materials for the school's external envelope have been carefully selected on merit of sustainability, where all materials can be reused should the building ever be demolished or modified in the future.

Upon approach to the new school entrance, the gateway building houses a welcoming reception facing the public plaza. Here you will find the main administration areas, offering all of the central services, preparation facilities required by teachers for leading their classes and also to provide respite as well as a central library accessible to all pupils. The main hall and kitchen pavilion on the left provides the school a larger gathering space suitable for lunches plus indoor PE classes, and whole school assemblies. On the right lies the early years pavilion, for the schools youngest pupils.

These front three pavilions are all linked by way of a cloister and become the arrival point for children. Secured with a cedar screen, site security is enhanced, preventing people seeing in, making the school a welcoming environment for the pupils.

Beyond are four further pavilions. These teaching pavilions are organised around groups of four classrooms, offering flexible teaching opportunities through a range of group rooms and shared learning spaces. As standalone spaces, each classroom has direct access to the outdoors and the external learning spaces.