CASE STUDY: Bushey Meads Secondary School – New SEND Facility
Develop new facility dedicated to supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
About
Bushey Meads Secondary School
Bushey Meads School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form, with academy status. It is located in Bushey, Hertfordshire. The school forms part of the Bushey St James Trust, in partnership with Little Reddings School and Hartsbourne Primary School.
The Project
Hertfordshire County Council were investing in the development of new Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs), so they could address a gap in the county’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) service. Bushey Meads Secondary School who is within that county was selected to benefit from their investment. The council began working with the school on ideas. ECP were initially engaged to assess the feasibility of what they were proposing.
How ECP Helped
Although a design had been proposed from the council’s framework architect, we identified a few areas for refinement. This was thanks to our established relationship with Bushey Meads from other CIF funded projects. We knew the school’s estate very well, and how different areas were mainly used.
With our initiative we reworked the design so that it improved accessibility throughout the facility, and with the approach to the main entrance of the school. Our recommended changes also helped concentrate the construction of the facility to one area of the building. Which in turn reduced the disruption to the school grounds, and most importantly to the students.
The overall project was managed end-to-end by our team, and both the school and the council are very pleased with the outcome. The new facility known as ‘The Laurel’ has the capacity to support up to 20 pupils at one time. It provides them with a safe place for students to go when needed.
Project value
£1.4 million
Completed
February 2024