Mountfield Heath SEMH School open new timber frame modular building from TG Escapes

A relatively new SEMH school for students aged 5-11 with some complex and challenging needs Mountfield Heath are facing increasing demand so needed to grow their capacity. Executive Headteacher Lyndsey Jefferies explains how she found the design and build experience.

TG Escapes timber eco-building provides 2 classrooms and a room for children who have been out of education for a significant amount of time to provide a therapeutic pathway back into education. It also houses a sensory room, 2 therapeutic intervention spaces and a small kitchen to encourage independent skills in the home.

What was your process when looking for a provider?

We looked at some static type builds, but TG Escapes have provided 3 or 4 other buildings for the Acorn Education and Care group and the experience has been really positive which is why we went with them.

How did you find the build process overall?

It was great from start to completion. There was really great communication regarding what we needed the building to provide for us. The designs and the sizes of the spaces were really good and during the process we had some additional referrals and were able to make some slight alterations to the design.

How would you describe the quality of the building, how it feels and works for you?

The first thing is it feels lovely. It feels very bright and airy and because we are in quite a rural area it really is in keeping with the woodland, the trees and the fields. It doesn’t look out of place with our environment.

The natural materials change the feel of it and I think for a modular build it feels really solid and robust. All the rooms have got lots of light, and the kitchen area is a long galley with floor to ceiling windows.

Often the ceilings in modular builds are very low so you feel very enclosed but our ceilings are of a really good height which gives a feeling of space. A lot of our children suffer from sensory processing issues and so the lighting and the feel of a space are very important, as are the acoustics. The acoustics in our building are very good. Although many modular builds are very echoey ours is not because of the ceiling tiles which are different to the rest of the school. We also have adaptive ventilation, due to our concerns about Covid, and air conditioning which are also great.

The insulation is phenomenal and the building heats up very quickly then holds the heat. It’s very efficient.

How was the construction service?

I think the most important thing to share from my experience was the actual build. We were quite a small site and the space the team had to work in was tight but they were fantastic. They were so respectful of the fact they were working on a site with special needs children. They kept us up to date with what plant was coming on site and knew that many of our children were very excited to see it all so they let us know what machinery was coming and when so that the kids could be very involved and watch what was happening.

As the building went into place, some last-minute changes were needed such as the position of the verandas but that was all really consultative, and problems were resolved together with a really positive outcome.

How has the building been received by staff, parents and students?

They love it. Everybody loves it. All the children love it and want to move in to ‘The Holt’ which is what we’ve called it. All the staff love it as well and it has been really well received by the parents.

What works very well are the verandas. Having the decking coming straight off the front, that indoor/outdoor space works very well with our children.

For more information visit www.tgescapes.co.uk or call 0800 917 7726