Early Year's Centre at St Agnes RC Primary School

Over several years, SCABAL has worked closely with the Diocese of Westminster (DoW) on refurbishments and extensions in primary schools across London, projects characterised by doing lots with not very much: small precise interventions carefully negotiated and considered then made to have maximum impact at minimal cost.

In winter 2018, SCABAL were approached by Brid McDaid, St Agnes’ Headteacher, to apply for LCVAP funding to make an Early Year’s Centre out of the passage between their existing nursery and reception classrooms: to fashion new flows between the two. Multiple openings were formed in the existing walls – carefully positioned to create a visually coherent and open space, and to encourage and facilitate movement and play.

The three round openings are aligned to act as binoculars, connecting the deepest place of the room with the outside world: the new circular window framing mini vistas of previously hidden trees and shrubs, and resolving overheating problems by enabling cross ventilation. The new translucent pink, open canopy replaces the tired old bus-stop acrylic one and, with soft playground surfacing, enables outdoor play for all children from both classrooms come rain or shine.

A new sink for water-play further enhances this play area, and new arched orange doors, emphasised by a semi-circular wet-pour threshold play-space, give new playful connections between in and out. The project was completed in December 2019 for a total construction budget of £140K, with maintenance works to improve drainage and installation of new sound absorption to improve acoustics in the school hall also squeezed in within the budget.

Works were undertaken while the school was in operation, enabled through a close relationship between SCABAL, the school and the appointed contractor, whose presence on site, rather than a hindrance to their everyday operation served as a valuable addition to the school’s learning environment.

Photography by SCABAL