Serlby Park Academy

Serlby Park Academy is the central school in Bircotes, a small mining town south of Doncaster.

The brief for the new Academy sought to integrate the primary, secondary and sixth form components into a single building on the same site.  The Academy is the first example of an all through school within a PSBP superblock type.

The primary school is arranged with the nursery, reception and infants placed on the ground floor and the juniors on the first floor.  A large courtyard dedicated to the primary pupils affords secure play space connected to the large and small halls and a creative DT space called 'Messy Monsters'.

The secondary school is arranged within the remainder of the superblock with an enclosed full height atrium at its heart.  This space is designated as a dining hall but used throughout the day, especially by sixth formers. The tiered circulation arrangement was enabled by a carefully integrated fire engineering strategy complete with sprinklers throughout.

The Academy benefits from an innovative single sided ventilation strategy using a recirculating mechanical ventilation unit coupled to the louvered windows.