The Sir Geoff Hurst Academy is a new buildschool 64 place school for students aged 7 – 16, living with complex and severe Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. It was designed to the highest standards of inclusive design, , as well as the specific pedagogy of the Beckmead Trust, a successful multi academy trust that specialises in looking after children and young people with SEMH needs.
We worked closely with the school team to ensure the brief caters to the needs of their students, while also providing flexibility for the future. The varied age range of the students, which can change year on year, prompted the classrooms to be split into different groupings. This also facilitates a sense of progression through the school, as classrooms for each key stage will have a different aspect and feel. Equal access to the specialist teaching spaces and sports facilities from the classrooms further improves this flexibility.
Education
The Beckmead Trust, The Department for Education and Kier
Chelmsford, UK
£13m
2025
The plan has been carefully designed in collaboration with the DFE and Beckmead Trust, to accommodate the needs of their students, with an emphasis on breaking the school into smaller units and operating them semi-independently from the point of view of the student. Each unit, affectionately known as an “Island”, holds a key-stage (2, 3 or 4), containing classrooms, group, library and WCs, as well as staff work and social spaces. Each Island then connects into the main heart of the school, known as “Mainland”, which includes communal spaces such as administration, central therapy spaces, sports and leisure, as well as the kitchen and specialist teaching.
Students enter the school directly into their Islands, building their sense of security as well as core social relationships. When confident within these smaller groups, students can then “travel” to Mainland to access wider curriculum needs. The plan is arranged so that students do not pass through other Islands to get to Mainland, and there is no overlooking from one Island to another, further building confidence and security in students.
The design has transformed the school into a safe, nurturing environment that supports emotional wellbeing and academic growth. Flexible learning spaces and homely residential units promote independence, stability, and a clear sense of progression. Staff benefit from intuitive layouts, enabling responsive care and fostering stronger student relationships across all age groups.
Offering a homey feel, the residential accommodation is arranged into 3 houses, each housing five students. Despite site constraints, each house is designed in contract to the typical institutional finish of schools. With its placement in the landscape emphasising the journey between home and school, alongside it’s domestic, buff brick materiality, the residential provision provides a clear transition between publicised and private space.
