‘A VILLAGE, NOT A SCHOOL’ – LIVERPOOL PLANNERS BACK PIONEERING SEND SCHOOL

• Princes School in Liverpool will be one of the UK’s largest single-storey facilities that covers the whole spectrum of SEND
• It will support 250 pupils drawn from four current sites
• The children’s needs are at the heart of Ridge and Partners’ pioneering design
• Community integration is key: facilities will be open at weekends, older children with SEND will attend clubs, and there will be programmes with mainstream schools and local care homes.

Liverpool City Council today approved plans for a new primary school that will provide a model for SEND support nationally. The centre will support 250 pupils with special educational needs and will be one of the UK’s largest single-storey facilities that covers the whole spectrum of SEND, from children who need some additional support to those with profound and multiple learning difficulties.

Ridge’s multidisciplinary team was brought in to design the purpose-built facility on a brownfield site off Princess Drive, Liverpool. It will bring together pupils from the existing Princes School who are currently spread across four sites in the city. The new school is expected to open in time for the 2029 academic year, following completion of construction and commissioning.

Princes School has doubled in size over the past seven years to support more than 200 children. With current facilities in Toxteth and Picton nearing the end of their life, the council approved a £37m investment in a new school building.

Demand for SEND school places is increasing nationwide, and in Liverpool the number of young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan rose by 50% between 2020 and 2024.

The Ridge team has designed a space that will be inspiring and inclusive, built closely around the children’s needs and inspired by the concept of the school as a ‘village’.

Pete Hawkins, Chair of Governors, said: “They say it takes a village to raise a child, but for our families, their village is getting smaller. Their children may not be able to do the same activities as children at mainstream schools, and they don’t have the same opportunities to socialise. We want to create a place where they feel they belong.”

Alice Parker, Partner and Education Architecture Lead at Ridge, says: “As soon as they said the word ‘village’, my mindset as a designer changed. It wasn’t just a destination at the end of a street, it was about extending an open arm to the community.”

As a leader in systems thinking, Ridge was able to provide integrated multidisciplinary expertise spanning not only architecture, but engineering, building services, project management, planning, transport modelling, sustainability and cost management. Close collaboration with stakeholders at every stage shaped a functional, value-for-money design, resulting in a successful planning submission.

The pioneering single-storey “finger block” design features four wings of classrooms and breakout spaces off a central core, ensuring that every child can access outdoor space directly from their classroom. Extending to 63,000 sq ft, it will support 250 pupils with 32 accessible classrooms, two hydrotherapy pools, eight multi-sensory rooms and 9,300 sq m of outdoor play space.

Knowing the pressure local authorities’ budgets are under, Ridge focused on cost effectiveness but without compromising on students’ experiences. While DfE guidelines favour two-storey buildings for cost-effectiveness, Ridge found the savings didn’t justify the additional staircases, lifts and fire safety measures needed. A single-storey solution proved the most inclusive approach.

Headteacher Col Hughes said: “We’ve always built the curriculum around our pupils and their needs. Now we’ve been given a unique opportunity to do that at a whole-school level. We want to create something different that’s about our children and their families.”

The wider “forest school” design will also provide an outdoor classroom where children learn and practise social skills through play-led activities such as den-building and nature crafts. Two green “oases” – internal courtyards in the school’s central core – will bring nature deep into the building.

Approved plans put sustainability and accessibility front and centre. The school is targeting a BREEAM Very Good sustainability rating and achieving net zero in operation. It will also open its facilities – therapy spaces, café and accessible play area – to the public at weekends, evenings and holidays. This will be a big boost for a part of Liverpool that has very few amenities.

Hughes said: “I’ve always wanted to feel like we’re at the centre of a community, because that’s often missing as a special school. Now we’re becoming the centre of a much wider community than just ourselves, and that’s really exciting.”