Delivery of a new SEND school to meet local demand

Glenwood School

Built to address a chronic shortage of special educational needs school places in Essex, the new Glenwood School was required to replace an existing building and provide 210 places for pupils aged three to 19-year-olds with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties. It was designed to have transformative potential through facilities including a sensory room which uses technology to help children overcome fears of certain situations and environments.

I have realised how good it is from a safeguarding point of view because everywhere you go you can see children and adults going about their daily business. It’s a great result and I love it.

Judith Salter

Head Teacher

We played a central role in the concerted effort at stakeholder consultation undertaken during the design stages. Since its completion, the school has left a legacy for pupils with special educational needs in Essex.

Being a dedicated SEND school, getting all aspects of the design right to meet the needs of staff and pupils was essential. This included the incorporation of equipment and rooms equipped for a wide range of uses.

With significant time spent on getting the design right, this had to be balanced against the risk of late delivery which could have threatened the children’s routine.

During design, visits to the existing school by the project team allowed us to truly understand and replicate the school’s ethos and approach in the new building. This informed the building’s layout and led to innovative features including a bespoke hoist system enabling three people at a time to move between changing facilities and the hydrotherapy pool.

Programme efficiency was achieved by condensing construction to 54 weeks through early release of enabling works packages and specification redesigns. Use of cross laminated timber (CLT) was instrumental with off-site manufacture reducing the construction programme by 15% and use of CLT providing a weathertight structure meaning works could continue during bad weather.