A new teaching building for a secondary school for young people with autism, in a conservation area in south London.

Spa School is a mixed secondary school in south London, one of the UK’s largest state schools for young people with autism spectrum condition. Lead by headteacher Simon Eccles it has 100 students ages 11-19 years, with 70 staff and a bespoke pedagogy. The school and four of its pupils were the subject of the award winning Channel 4 documentary, ‘Make Me Normal’ (2005), showing what it is like, for over half a million people, to grow up in the UK with autism.

We were appointed by Southwark Council’s local education partnership to develop a campus masterplan for the school and to deliver a new teaching block.

Informed analysis and new proposals for the existing estate reduced the scope of required new build, allowing the successful delivery of a high quality new teaching centre to meet the schools needs. On a tight urban site, the location of the building on previously underused land ensured that the pupils enjoyed a perceived increase and better access to the external play landscape.

Large scale models and 1:1 prototypes were used for the collaborative development of classrooms and furniture with staff and pupils.

Awards

• New London Architecture, Best Education Building nomination 2012
• Brick Awards, Best Education Building nomination 2012