Clapham Manor School

This growth had placed considerable pressure on the successful delivery of curriculum within the restrictions of the original building

Yet despite the physical constraints, the school excelled under the leadership of head teacher Brian Hazell, achieving Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ and DfES Beacon School status.

The London Borough of Lambeth asked us to consider the provision of additional learning spaces within the site that would support both learning and play.

We therefore conceived the new wing as a freestanding addition that plugged into the existing school. The location for the addition – a former caretakers’ house and awkward 1960s extension – was the most constrained and under-used portion of the site.

We wanted to create a building that would sit shoulder to shoulder with the adjacent high-quality brick buildings, but not be subservient. The Conservation Officer was supportive, provided the contemporary addition was of the highest standard.

The extension is pulled away from the flank wall of the existing school building to sit parallel with the neighbouring Grade II-listed Odd Fellows Hall – a strategic arrangement that enabled a new formal entrance to the school to be created. This improved security by acting as an organisational hub for access to the entire premises, with lines of security that could be easily controlled. The new extension and entrance had greater street presence, serving to improve the public realm outside the school gates.

Staff share a resource room, copy facilities and administration spaces, and there are offices for the head teacher and the facilities and premises manager. The wider community can also use the spaces outside of school hours, extending the agenda of lifelong learning.

Clapham Manor Primary School was the recipient of a RIBA award, shortlisted for the Stirling Prize, and a winner at the Civic Trust Awards. Its striking façade, with a shifting colour spectrum, was inspired by post war system-built schools. It acts within the neighbourhood as a beacon for excellence and the imagination, and speaks to the school motto of “growing brighter futures” within.