NEW BUILDING
Woodland
wonder
A school has won two
national awards for its
innovative new building
and outdoor learning
space, reports Jack Butler.
B
elvue School, for boys and
girls aged between 11 and
19 with moderate to severe
learning difficulties, has
fashioned a classroom in the heart of a
woodland area at the back of the school.
And this hidden marvel has helped the
building project to win two awards
12
around ealing September 2018
from the Royal
Institute of British
Architecture
(RIBA).
The school
and the building
designers,
StudioWeave,
wanted to create
something that
would open up the
imaginations of the children.
And the woodland area at the back
of the school was incorporated into
that plan after recently being granted
to the school because it was disused.
It is now being used
for craft activities
and outdoor
learning and it
includes a fire pit.
Councillor Yvonne
Johnson, the
council’s portfolio
holder for schools
and children’s
services, said: “I
am delighted that
Belvue School has
won this award for
this outstanding
new building. It
not only puts
the school on
the map for its
amazing design,
but is also an
incredible space
to teach children and
young adults.”
Shelagh O’Shea, headteacher
at Belvue, said: “We wanted to create
a special haven for our young people
to learn in. We wanted to build a space
that connected our playground to our
newly required woodland.
“For a lot of children they do not
have an opportunity to be in a building
and an outside environment like this,
it really is very unique.”
The funding for the new building
came from local fundraising,
charitable donations, and a grant from
the Mayor of London.
Watch a video and read more at
ealingnewsextra.co.uk/
features/belvue-school-woodland-
wonder-wins-architectural-awards