First 'One School Pathfinder' school in UK Opens

Building and property consultants Tuffin Ferraby Taylor report on the first school building in the UK to be built under the government's One School Pathfinder scheme.

The first school building in the UK to be built under the government's One School Pathfinder scheme is ready to open its doors to pupils in September, one of the only projects in the scheme meeting time and budget targets.

Part of the Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF), the One School Pathfinder scheme was set up to allow local authorities not due to benefit from BSF until waves 10 to 15 (estimated to be 2016) to choose one secondary school to be rebuilt or redeveloped by 2011.

Chessington Community College, in the Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK), has become the first school on this scheme to be rebuilt and is ready to be used once pupils return for the new academic year.

The new facility is not only breaking new ground for the scheme but is also challenging the norm for school buildings.

The 23 million pound, three-year re-build has seen a number of innovative features included on the property, such as open plan toilets in order to eradicate bullying and 'oyster card' style technology that enable every pupil and member of staff to carry one card that operates everything from the security gates in reception to the tills in the canteen.

All teaching facilities branch off from a large central atrium, providing natural light to all central areas.

The building also features a number of state-of-the-art sustainable features, including a biomass boiler, photovoltaic panels and a rainwater harvesting tank.

There is also an 'energy education system' in place to allow pupils to monitor the building's energy use and see how the facilities are being powered.

Having completed phase one of the project - to erect the new main building - the next two phases will see the old building demolished and the instalment of a new floodlit multi-use games area, all due to be completed by the end of 2008.

Paul Raymont of building and property consultants Tuffin Ferraby Taylor, who is managing the project on behalf of RBK, says: "It was important from the start that we worked towards a building that could really deliver 21st century education".

"We have pushed some boundaries here, such as open plan toilets, which might make people hesitant to start with, but everything has been done with the purpose of improving the overall educational environment and developing learning".

Many of the 39 local authorities involved in the One School Pathfinder scheme have faced difficulties in keeping their projects on budget and this has caused delays in the completion of other schools, prompting claims that the government has underfunded the scheme.

Raymont adds: "Whilst we would have loved more funding, I think the achievements made at Chessington Community College show that with careful planning and design and sensible budgeting from the local authority, it is possible to succeed in creating a groundbreaking, modern facility that will not only serve the needs of students and staff, but the wider community as well".

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