New School Developments
Message from Ali Khan, Chair of Governors & Director of Alpha Schools Group
Ever since our involvement with Beechwood began, we have been working towards a clear vision for the success of the school. I am pleased now to be able to share some exciting news for Beechwood’s future. Our team has already been busy beginning to rethink and develop the site. Some of the more immediate schemes with accompanying preliminary visualisations are presented below. Phase 1 is due to be completed for the Autumn Term 2021, with additional phases due thereafter.
New Developments at Beechwood
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The School Site
In what follows, we hope to outline the ‘headline’changes, investment and developments which will begin to transform the school with a refurbishment and relocation of classrooms for the start of the new academic year.
The Prep School
Central to our vision for the school is a significant change which helps to define both the Prep and Senior Schools. From September, the Prep School classrooms will be re-located into Beechwood House, the main school building.The Prep children will benefit from the use of the senior school specialist spaces whilst enjoying a more cohesive, traditional Prep experience within the House. Educationally, we will be absolutely clear with our vision for Prep –a happy, supportive environment which leads to the very best individual academic outcomes for maximum choice at Year Six, whether at Beechwood or via successful 11+ into a local Grammar. Our group’s expertise in this regard is something we think we may be the best at in the country.
The Senior School
We are defining and developing the rest of the school into Campus-style blocks. For September, we will have a new STEM block, located in the current Science and DT/Art space. Regina Mundi (current junior school classes) will be developed into a Creative Arts Block; Junior House will become our English and Humanities Hub; and the current Mathematics classrooms will become a new Music Suite(classrooms and studio). MFL, Drama and IT will remain within Beechwood House.
The Sixth Form
For the Sixth Form, the underground space has been refreshed into an appealing Cavern, with a future vision to significantly remodel and open the whole underground space including a direct flow onto our lawns.
New Sofas
Benching for working
New Pool Table
New High Tables and Chairs
More space for social time
Extended seating area
The Quad
One of the most contemporary design decisions is a collection of adaptable glass classroom spaces withinthe Quad, primarily for small tutorial group teaching. On top of these will be a roof terrace which will be linked into a new boarding common room.
The Boarding Facilities
Our first phase of significant redesign of boarding will include a new bridge linking the main girls’ boarding corridor with the new Quad Common Room.
The Nursery and Pre-School
The preliminary designs for a brand new 50-week nursery space have been created. Pre-application planning meetings have already taken place and the new building will be located on the lawn beneath the MUGA with access from Hall’s Hole Road and potentially a new traffic flow through the campus. We are eager to build as soon as planning permission is obtained (which may be by January 2022) and are sure that our families and younger children will absolutely love the space.
Pending planning approvals, the Outdoor classroom and Music buildings are being redeveloped to house our current Pre School children. We hope to have the new Nursery up-and-running before the end of the next academic year. Whilst very much an overview of the first phase,we think this should show the exciting direction in which we are hoping to take the school. Next steps in the vision include a brand-new D&T centre, an outdoor decking area flowing from the dining room and other elements with which to enhance Beechwood. We hope you find this first glimpse into our vision for Beechwood as exciting as we do and look forward to sharing with you more as the works begin.
