Fred Nicholson SEN School, Swaffham
Fred Nicholson is a 3-storey, 5,000 sqm state of the art, purpose-built special educational needs & disabilities (SEND) facility, designed to support the school’s expansion and relocation while creating a high-quality, inclusive learning environment. The project represents a significant investment by Norfolk County Council in specialist education, ensuring children and young people across Norfolk can access the right spaces, support, and opportunities.
The school is designed as a compassionate, inclusive and contextually sensitive environment where inspirational interiors, sensory-aware planning and a quality architectural response come together to enrich student learning, wellbeing and development.
Built on a green-field site, the new school replaced the existing Fred Nicholson School in Dereham, which was over-capacity and no longer fit for purpose.
It offers Dedicated Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) provisions and will provide a supportive environment and the very latest facilities and technology to educate and meet the needs of up to 224 children and young people in the region with complex needs.
The new building includes:
- 17 main classrooms
- Specialist area for lift skills
- A sensory immersion room
- Two soft play rooms
- Sport shall
- Large kitchen and dining hall
- Medical room
- Food tech rooms
- DT room
- Textiles room
- Music room
- Meeting rooms
- Withdrawal rooms
- Group rooms
External facilities include:
- A MUGA
- Sportsfield
- Two play areas with extensive play equipment
- Playground
- Forest school
Delivered over a 72-week construction programme, the project involved 56 sub-contractors who all worked collaboratively to complete the project on time and within budget. A strong partnership between the client, design team and supply chain ensured clear communication, efficient delivery, and a shared commitment to achieving the project’s objectives.
The building is comprised of a piled substructure, steel frame and precast concrete floors. The facade is a mixture of traditional brickwork and zinc cladding, polyester powder coated windows, doors and curtain walling. Internally the building has painted plasterboard walls and the ceilings are a combination of suspended ceilings and exposed concrete soffits with acoustic rafts.
Social Value & School Engagement
We worked closely at preconstruction and during construction with the Head Teacher and leadership team to ensure the school was delivering what they required.
Pupil and staff engagement and social value were a key objective of this project and a number of initiatives and events were arranged to involve the current school staff and pupils in the construction of their new school.
Our events with the school and the wider community included:
- Donation of books to the school for World Book Day during a visit to the previous school
- Steel signing event which was attended by staff and pupils.
- Topping Out event which was attended by staff and pupils
- Coffee van run by the Break Charity attended two events to provide drinks and refreshments.
- Burial of a Time Capsule to celebrate the new school
- Donation of food and drinks for a local primary school summer BBQ and Fun Run.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a key aspect of this new building which incorporates Breathing Building Units which use a ventilation system to reduce energy consumption by combining natural and mechanical ventilation and reducing heat loss / gain through the fabric of a building. Intelligent units are incorporated into the building’s fabric and monitor internal and external conditions (temperature and CO2 levels) to automatically regulated airflow, minimising the need for energy-intensive mechanical systems. Underfloor heating. PV panels, air source heat pumps and motion-sensor lighting are fitted throughout.
As we approach our moving date, our entire school community is buzzing with excitement. R G Carter could not have supported our transition more; the team invited us to various events throughout the build and accommodated our pupils with kindness and warmth. Our pupils have certainly felt included in their new school environment. As leaders, we have been allowed on-site as needed to support logistical planning, ensuring our move is as smooth as possible. The facilities and quality of the build have surpassed our expectations, and we cannot wait to call FNS Swaffham our home.
