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

  • University of Kentucky Integrates New Cleaning Technology

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently installed a new cleaning system designed to improve cooling efficiency on campus, according to a news release. The Facilities Management’s Utilities and Energy Management Unit installed new chiller tubes into two of the chillers at the university’s Central Utility Plant.

  • Agualta STEAM Engine

    Outdoor Learning Spaces and Biophilic Design Create Community in East Los Angeles

    Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School's Agualta STEAM Engine blends education, community, and nature through its adaptable design.

  • Key Considerations for Office-to-Higher-Education Facility Conversions

    Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, office-to-alternative-use conversions have become a recurring subject of urban development discourse. Office utilization rates across major U.S. cities remain below 50%, with vacancy rates exceeding 27% in San Francisco and 16% in New York. Higher education facilities present programmatic and spatial use cases that align readily with the typical characteristics of commercial office buildings.

  • Singlewire Software Report Reveals Gaps in K–12 School Entrance Security

    Single Software recently released its first-ever School Entrance Security Report based on more than 500 responses from U.S. school staff members. According to a news release, the findings highlight a gap between K–12 leaders’ wishes for school safety and how safe the schools actually are, as well as the challenges facing students and staff in that goal.

Digital Edition