Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Pick Everard Completes New Special Education School in England

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/03/24

Multidisciplinary consultancy Pick Everard recently announced that construction is complete on a new specialist school for students with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs in Shepshed, Leicestershire, England, according to a news release. Bowman Academy will open in September 2024 and serve students ages 4–16.

The academy will feature amenities like vinyl spaces for practical learning purposes, a sensory dark room, a calming room, and practical teaching spaces including a domestic kitchen and library. The school has capacity for 64 students, 16 primary-aged children (two ground-floor classrooms) and 48 secondary-aged children (two ground-floor classrooms and four more on the floor above).


Bowman Academy
Image courtesy of Pick Everard

“Working on SEND [Special Educational Needs and Disabilities] schools is always a privilege, with unique design applications and special consideration for the needs of a diverse range of learning,” said Joe West, Pick Everard associate. “Creating an environment that is both functional and comfortable for pupils was central to the aims of the project, which should in turn aid the school in attracting and retaining students in the area.”

The school also partnered with general contractor Bowmer + Kirkland for the project’s construction.

Sustainability initiatives include a “fabric-first” approach to increase insulation, heat recovery, and air-tightness. The school also features high-efficiency boilers, LED lighting with occupancy and daylight controls, and a photovoltaic panel array that offsets ten percent of the school’s energy consumption.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.