EDUCATION
CREATING SPACES DESIGNED FOR SEMH STUDENTS The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the importance of early-stage development for the next generation, especially at primary school level. The support children receive at school is pivotal to their progress both from an educational perspective as well as an emotional one.
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he way that our schools are designed and built has a significant impact on their ability to deliver on these developmental needs. For example, are the classrooms comfortable and practical spaces in which to learn? Does the school’s facilities meet its operational requirements and have the wider surroundings been taken into consideration? As with all educational establishments, providing a space tailored to the development of students with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) requires a careful consideration of these questions in order to understand the needs of the pupils and how the building around them can facilitate an engaging learning experience. Morgan Sindall Construction’s Essex business recently completed work on a comprehensive refurbishment and expansion project at Ramsden Hall Academy in Billericay, Essex, in which many of these issues had to be addressed. Ramsden Hall Academy works with up to 100 secondary-age and Year 6 male students who have an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) for SEMH needs. The transformational project at the academy was delivered by the tier one
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contractor for the Department for Education (DfE), and is managed by the multi-academy trust, Parallel Learning Trust. The refurbishment and expansion work included a brand-new, three-storey residential block, which will provide beds for 40 students and bolster the academy’s ability to develop the pupil’s independent living skills. Alongside the residential area, Morgan Sindall Construction delivered an extension to the existing teaching block, creating seven new classrooms, seven new withdrawal rooms, a learning resource centre, main assembly hall, dining hall, conference room and four new special educational needs (SEN) therapy rooms. The brief for this project was born from the Parallel Learning Trust and Ramsden Hall Academy’s mission ‘building positive futures from new beginnings’. Working together with the academy’s stakeholders, Morgan Sindall Construction has created a space designed to help students with social, emotional and mental health needs thrive both in school and in the wider community, while simultaneously ensuring that the academy would have an efficient, sustainable and easy-to-manage site.
Enhancing the learning experience
Each aspect of the learning experience was considered by working through a typical day to identify the pupil journey and ensure safe and secure access and egress to both buildings. To understand the complex needs and constraints within the teaching environment, Morgan Sindall Construction worked closely with academy representatives as well as ICT specialists. This collaboration was important to making sure that the design factored in a range of considerations that, if not accounted for, could affect the smooth day-to-day running of the academy. For example, this work ranged from assessing
ligature risks and potential health and safety hazards to identifying the location of data points and power supply. It was important to ensure each child was comfortable at school, and temperature was a key part of this. The team mitigated the risk of overheating with dedicated mixed-mode ventilation, providing assisted natural ventilation to all teaching areas. This was combined with CO2 and temperature monitoring as well as simple and effective controls so that the academy’s staff could easily evaluate and manage the onsite temperature. Mechanical cooling systems were installed in any area where ventilation alone wasn’t sufficient.
