FAKENHAM NEW SEN SCHOOL

Project Overview

The site is within the grounds of a former secondary school and sixth form that has been vacant for several years and is owned and maintained by the Client. To the south, the wider grounds are within Fakenham Conservation Area and part of the old school building (Highfield House) is Grade II listed. Although both the Conservation Area and listed building are outside the site boundary for the new school, they were considered in the development of the design and a Heritage Impact Assessment was prepared.

During the early stage of the project, consideration was given to making use of the existing buildings on the site for the new SEN school, but this option was not ultimately progressed as the layout and size of the rooms did not satisfy the requirements for a 21st century SEN school.

The new school site does not have a boundary directly to the highway, and access is via a parcel of land that also provides access to the remainder of the former school grounds and 2 adjacent properties. Managing this presented a particular challenge for the scheme during both the design and construction phases.

A public consultation event was held in the local community centre in January 2020; the scheme was generally well received and seen as beneficial to the local area. Local residents were also pleased that the setting of the Grade II listed building was being maintained and was not compromised by the location and scale of the single storey design.

The design of the building was driven by the specific needs of the users, and the team spent time during the early design stages working with the Client and local SEN school head teachers to define the unique requirements; this included visiting local schools and reviewing best practice.

Following this the design was developed with two distinct teaching wings (one primary and one secondary) either side of a central core which housed the communal dining and main halls along with an activity studio, library and specialist teaching and therapy spaces along with staff accommodation. The teaching wings were designed with a central corridor which opening out into a large ‘transition space’ giving access to groups of 4 classrooms. Each classroom
was designed with direct access to a small ‘individual room’, and distinct calming and sensory spaces were provided in each teaching wing.

The layout of the main car park was developed with the end user to provide a specific pick-up and drop-off zone close to the building, and secure fencing along a defined secure line ensured that the private school grounds were distinct from the public car park area. All the disciplines and Consultants in Norse Consulting have the knowledge and experience to advise, design, and facilitate educational projects. Having the majority of the disciplines and Consultants ‘in house’ makes Norse Consulting best placed to support and communicate the process.