Staff and Governors are very excited about the proposed new building which will enable children from the local community to be educated in a brand new, state-of-the-art school with advanced technology, to meet the needs of a 21st Century curriculum and equip our young people for lifelong learning. The internal design ethos will provide an environment which is uplifting and facilitates the delivery of transformational education. This will showcase two essential elements of St John’s School: our Engineering Specialism and our Church of England status within a totally inclusive environment – truly a school for the community.
Our vision is for the school to take its place at the heart of the community, with all its resources available for people of all ages to enhance their learning and skills.
The Design Ethos: Essentially, we wanted a building which was sympathetic with the Epping Forest semi-rural location. The design concept has therefore been carefully considered to ensure that the new structure blends in with its surroundings and that the materials exhibit a commitment to sustainability, complimenting the Green Belt setting. The building itself will be orientated to optimise daylight, views and natural ventilation. Internally, generous circulation space will provide a healthy, stimulating internal environment interacting sympathetically with the landscape. Environmental impact will be minimised through the employment of renewable energy including a decentralised plant using biomass fuels. The design has already achieved the highest rating for sustainability and environmental servicing.
Functionality: The school has been designed around a ‘street and wing’ plan which provides easy access to all areas and should minimise student movement around the building. The main entrance will provide a central focal point leading to the ‘heart space’ which will provide flexible hall and meeting spaces for use by both the school and the community.
The new learning centre will provide opportunities for
variable class sizes
Year group clusters
high levels of flexibility and adaptability
a flexible curriculum.
Security:
There will be a secure boundary around the entire school site.
Clear public, semi-public and private zones established
Clear sight-lines for ease of supervision
Two access points to the site can be secured for out-of-school hours
The plan for the new school build has been given final planning approval. We are now in further discussion with the project management team to finalise the timescale.
September 2009
“St John's is a great school for everyone from age 11 to 16”
