portfolio
Oxley Park Primary School
Alex Freemantle as Principal Architect, Architecture MK
Client Milton Keynes Education Authority
Contract Value £3,876,000
Completion October 2005
420 place primary school designed to relate to a future community building. The building is the subject of a case study in the DfES publication “Every Child Matters: Primary Capital programme” on good practice for the Building Schools for the Future programme.
The building is designed to maximise the use of natural light and ventilation and contact between inside and outside. The classrooms have high windows to maximise the penetration of light, glazed panels to bring in light from naturally lit corridors and clerestory windows to first floor classrooms. Monodraught units are used to provide cross ventilation to ground floor classrooms. All classrooms have external doors to the playground or first floor balcony used for picnic lunches in the summer. The youngest children’s classrooms are on the ground floor and each have their own “front doors” and protected external space for children who choose not to use the main play area on occaision.
“We wanted a school of the highest calibre, traditional in values but modern in outlook, designed with children in mind ---- seeing it in practice is delightful”
Cathy Higgins, Headteacher.
“With huge demographic growth in Milton Keynes, we build schools for communities which don’t yet exist. Our aim with Oxley Park was to create inspirational buildings with a strong identity and a community presence to provide a focus for the decelopment of new communities. And we’ve definitely achieved that. It’s a lovely school”.
Mark Dolling, Milton Keynes Council.
