PSBJ June 2012

Page 22

Education

The school and local council proudly state that St Paul's Way Trust School is one of the most exciting places of learning in the whole of

Community education A £36m rebuilding project has transformed St Paul's Way Trust School in Bow, Tower Hamlets, from a school that was struggling to meet its full potential to an inclusive, inspirational environment for use by pupils, staff and the local community. Designed by Astudio, the school recently won Best Built Project _ Community Scale Scheme, at the Mayor's London Planning Awards.

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environment to encourage students’ intellectual, physical, spiritual and emotional growth. The new building, built adjacent to the existing school, brings the school back to the street front. In doing so, it demonstrates physically and symbolically St Paul’s Way Trust School’s pivotal importance within © James Brittain

unded by Tower Hamlets Council as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme and aided by a £1m grant from the London Thames Gateway Corporation, the St Paul’s Way Trust School project comprised a 36-month design and construction programme to create a secondary school with the facilities and

The new St Paul's Way Trust School is both a sign and a catalyst for further regeneration, an inspiring success story and a beacon of hope locally.

22 Public Sector Build Journal

the community, removing traditional barriers like gates and fences which ordinarily separate schools from their surroundings. The local area is part of a broad regeneration scheme, which includes general street improvements, new and restored housing and a new health centre. With its building and grounds designed to be inspirational and accessible to the local community as well as school users, St Paul’s Way Trust School draws the diverse community together, providing easy access to a £7m public library, theatre and sports complex from the main street, while clever internal planning and careful access control allows students full use whenever they need it. The sports complex and a Faraday Science Centre stand at either end of the new three-storey building, linked by a wide circulation system. The Faraday Science Centre – which makes St Paul’s Way Trust School London’s first Faraday specialist school, was officially opened by school patron Professor Brian Cox OBE. Headteacher Grahame Price said: “The school engages confidently with the community it serves and the community facilities have made a huge impact locally, helping us win back trust from our residents. It is a powerful expression of how the school is engaging with and


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