Our role covered both planning consultancy and landscape design.

We provided heritage advice to help integrate the proposals with the school’s Grade II-listed 1861 building and the Bradmore Conservation Area. 

We also designed a series of courtyards that now form the heart of the school’s external environment.

These spaces support wellbeing, create opportunities for social and academic activity, and connect students with nature. 

• Library Courtyard: A quiet, sheltered setting framed by buildings. Features include raised planting beds, precast concrete benches and timber decks. A glazed corridor offers elevated views across the space. 
• Biology Garden Courtyard: Designed to support learning, with trees, a pond, raised planters and a central pergola. This encourages interaction with the site’s ecology. 
• Eastern Courtyard: A reimagined entrance space, with timber benches, new planting and soft landscaping to create a welcoming arrival experience. 

Together, these spaces combine calmness, ecological value and flexibility. They enrich the school’s daily life and provide long-term benefits for students and staff. 

The project has already received several awards, including AIA UK’s Beyond the Brief Award and best education building at the Schüco Excellence Awards.

It was also highly commended in the Civic Trust Awards. 

Now in their eighth year, the AJ Architecture Awards celebrate the best new buildings across the UK. Categories range from housing and health to workplace and culture.  

Each shortlisted scheme is visited by the judging panel before the winners are announced at a ceremony at the Royal Lancaster London on 27 November.