Pennington Junior School, Lymington 188 pupils This large site is located within a residential area. It is situated on an extensive campus which is shared with an infant and a secondary school.

Pupils and vehicles shared the same entrance Initial exploration of the issues revealed concerns with existing access and circulation: Vehicles Pupils There was no link between the schools so a short cut across a muddy field had evolved Parents and siblings waited outside classrooms which caused disruption to classes.

There were also concerns over breaktime opportunities: The link between them was poor and difficult to supervise The main areas used at breaktimes were two tarmac playgrounds used primarily for sports and active play. There was a lack of:- creative, imaginative and social play spaces shelter or shade

It also became apparent that there were a number of underused areas and resources, including: Store Pool Field As well as spaces which were either poorly located or no go areas Pond

The strategy identified new opportunities for resolving these concerns.

New pedestrian access Divider A key factor was to improve access and circulation A new pedestrian entrance was proposed with clear separation between cars and people

Pond As a social space for breaktime use. A welcoming meeting/waiting space for parents and pupils. As an outdoor classroom linked to the existing pond. The sheltered, no go area was identified as an area that could be used for a variety of purposes:

The space was redesigned and has changed from being an unwelcoming, unused place…

shelter at playtimes shade in the summer a tuck shop a pupil managed games store quiet seating corners a parents notice board …to an attractive area that resolves several issues through one solution.

Adventure play The use of the existing quiet area, poorly located next to the football space, was also redefined: It was changed to a seating and waiting area for use in conjunction with the proposed adventure play area

The strategy also identified new uses for disused resources. For instance…..

The swimming pool space was remodelled to include an amphitheatre and the changing rooms refurbished into a drama/community room to provide: An outdoor-classroom and year group space for drama, assemblies etc. A breaktime space for imaginative, creative and quieter play An outdoor space for community use and events

Joint woodland teaching resource Path Finally, opportunities for shared curriculum resources were identified and the need to improve the physical link between the Infant and Junior buildings

New pedestrian access Amphitheatre Social space Pond Adventure play and seating area Joint woodland teaching resource Divider Path The strategy for the whole site has provided the school with an important tool for : Communicating Planning Prioritising Fundraising

The school explain how stepping back and taking a long term strategic view has helped them to bring lasting benefits: ‘Auditing the use of the whole site and consulting all the stakeholders has meant that we formulated an excellent long term strategic plan, that we were able to implement in a series of clearly defined phases. ‘To date, we have a colourful social and outside learning space alongside an established pond, an adventure playground and an amphitheatre built on the site of a disused swimming pool with converted changing rooms now refurbished to form a creative arts building. We are now well into phase 4 which is a change to the school entrance, hopefully through the school travel plan initiative. Without taking this approach, our vision, I know, would have been thwarted by my natural enthusiasm and impatience to start work without due foresight.’ Headteacher.