King's Avenue School was one of four new "landmark" primary schools commissioned as part of Lambeth's "Action for Education" primary school development strategy. The scheme involved the transformation of two existing schools to form a three-form entry primary school, with reception and nursery classes on one site and primary years 1-6 on the other. As a 'centre of excellence' for visually impaired children, the design incorporates a wide variety of sensory aides to make the whole building accessible. Colour is used extensively throughout the school as a means of helping orientation. A continuous coloured stripe runs along the floor to help the children find their way around and walls have been painted in a range of bright colours. The scheme is included in the CABE digital library of England's best buildings and spaces. Cabe case study Kings Avenue School
The outside play areas have been extensively remodelled as one of the first Space for Sports and the Arts schemes, to maximise use for student and community use. Two sports pitches - including a floodlit Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) which required a separate planning application - enable a variety of sports. with the dual aim of enriching children’s play-time and providing an additional teaching resource. The project is used as an exemplar in the DfES publication: ‘Inspirational Design for PE and Sports Spaces’.
"It is an uplifting building full of light and colour set in developing grounds which create a green oasis of calm....an ideal environment for successful learning." Frances McGregor, Headteacher Kings Avenue School in Learning By Design (an Open House Exemplar), 2005
"I was so impressed with the design, as a visually impaired person I felt really at ease in the schools surroundings." Alan Whetherly, Development Officer for visually impaired, London Sports forum for Disabled People. Published in Learning by Design, 2005.
