Woodlands Academy

Galliford Try is delivering the new Woodlands Academy, a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) school in Scarborough, replacing buildings that are no longer fit for purpose. 

Woodlands Academy’s aim is to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century and the design of the new school supports the different learning approaches used by the Academy to support the teaching of pupils with a range of needs.

The school focuses on providing a nurturing environment and places an emphasis on wellbeing and has been awarded the Wellbeing Award for Schools. 

The new facilities provide accessible and inclusive settings for its students, including therapy areas, calm rooms, and a focus on minimising the possibility of overstimulation through design.

In addition to this, due to the large spectrum of needs and issues faced by the children, particular focus was also placed on the creation of a flexible and robust environment, to ensure all pupils can be given the care they require.

The new school has also been designed to be net-zero carbon in operation and includes photovoltaic panels, a green roof, and several energy and resource efficient features. It will deliver a 23% biodiversity net gain, more than double the 10% statutory requirement.

The new school facilities are being built adjacent to the existing buildings so the programming and the logistics planning have taken additional account of minimising disruption to the school including drop off and pick up arrangements. 

The two-storey school will be open to children aged between 3-18 years old and is part of the School Rebuilding Programme.