06 November 2018
With a rapidly rising population, London Boroughs estimate that 110,364 new school places will be needed in London between 2016/17 and 2021/22 to meet forecast demand including 62,934 primary places. In response, leading developer Telford Homes has opened a new £8.5m primary school at its Bow Garden Square development in St Paul’s Way in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Indeed, in the past three years, Telford Homes has completed three primary schools and a City of London sixth form academy in Bermondsey, Dalston, and now Bow, offering 1,690 new school places.
Located in an area which has a growing need for school places, the new £8.5m St Paul’s Way Foundation School will provide 390 new places for local children in the borough and 30 nursery places. With London boroughs having to fund up to half of all new school places from their own resources they are increasingly turning to developers to make building schools a part of their planning requirements. At Bow Garden Square, Telford Homes together with their partner Poplar HARCA and renowned architects Pollard Thomas Edwards have gone further, as it features an innovative mix of uses including the new two-form entry primary school, 109 mixed tenure homes, a community centre / sports hall and a mosque, on a compact 0.96 hectare (2.38 acre) site.
The main part of the school is located on the ground floor of an 8 storey residential building with single storey buildings to the rear of it, including a sports hall / community centre, all of which surrounds the extensive external space. The playground and Multi Use Games Area cover a generous 33,938 sq ft (3,153 sq m). The playground has been designed around a large, mature Wingnut tree that allows for a quiet space, encouraging outdoor reading and shade during the warmer months.
The sports hall which also serves as a community centre has been designed using a cross laminated timber structures to the walls and roof. This modular system was efficient to construct, thereby significantly reducing the programme duration and it exceeded the environmental performance of alternative structures. It also gives the building the desired natural feel and is combined with a natural ventilation system. A Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant serves the whole development and a canopy connects all the school buildings creating a safe enclosure and cover from rain or sun.
John Fitzgerald, Group Managing Director, Telford Homes, said: “This is a key milestone for what is a flourishing community at St Paul’s Way and it is inspiring to see the school open and receive such positive feedback from the pupils, parents and teachers. At Telford Homes, we strive to create thriving new communities where new homes enable important new facilities to be created for local people. We are very proud that we have created 1,690 new school places for children and young adults in the last three years.”
Grahame Price, CEO of the University Schools Trust, said: “Five years ago we had a vision for this school and it is absolutely fantastic to see it realised. What a difference this school will make to the lives of local children for many years to come! The St Pauls Way Foundation school offers a unique educational experience for children in our community. Our talented staff are highly committed to providing a safe, stimulating and caring environment in which children can grow, learn and achieve their full potential.”
-ENDS-
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Marisa Chodakowski
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Notes to editors:
Established in 2000, Telford Homes has grown steadily to become one of London’s largest residential developers. We are dedicated to developing the homes and creating the places that London needs. Our buildings are bespoke designs consisting of various housing tenures, alongside commercial properties and community buildings.
Being a valued partner to landowners, housing associations, local authorities, build to rent investors and our supply chain is a key part of Telford Homes’ strong brand reputation, as is looking after everyone who works for us.
Telford Homes’ high standards and exceptional customer service have gained the company a number of awards including, most recently, ‘Large Developer of the Year’ at the RESI Awards 2018, three Housing Design Awards 2017 and Medium Housebuilder of the Year at the Housebuilder Awards 2017. The Company’s independent customer satisfaction survey for 2017 highlights that an average of 100% of customers would recommend Telford Homes. www.telfordhomes.london