Silverwood NetZero SEND School

Our team of education experts worked with Wiltshire Council to redevelop Silverwood School into one of the country's biggest SEND schools, catering for 350 pupils in primary, secondary and post-16.

It is also one of the first in a new generation of Net Zero in operation schools in the country.

The inclusive learning environment is tailored for students with the following needs:

• moderate learning difficulty (MLD)
• severe learning difficulty (SLD)
• autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)
• profound and multiple learning difficulty (PMLD)
• physical disabilities and sensory impairments (PD)

Procured via the SCF framework, this is a ‘school within a school’, with a community of small teaching clusters that will provide a range of specialist teaching spaces, therapeutic support, and quiet dining. Each cluster will be designed to offer plenty of space to move around while maximising natural daylighting and ventilation to create an airy feel.

The facilities are further supported by a hydrotherapy pool, a new all-weather sport pitch and new playing fields.

At one with nature

Biodiversity, Net-Zero and Sustainability were at the heart of this build throughout.

Over 1,000 solar panels on the roof help ensure renewable energy is the main source of power

The 1000+ panels (funded by Wiltshire Wildlife Community Energy) installed as part of this project will generate green electricity to power the school, with any surplus energy fed back into the local grid, benefiting the wider community.

To achieve net zero carbon in operation, the buildings also utilise three biomass boilers and is made up of a CLT frame (Cross Laminated Timber Frame) which is a more sustainable alternative to the typical steel or concrete frames, with timber sourced from sustainable forests.

These considerations ensured an EPC score of –13 AT and an airtightness of 1.84.

Ensuring Sustainability within the construction of this project allowed for 98.8% of construction waste to be diverted from landfill.

• 1,096 pallets were collected from site by Pallet Loop, meaning these will be re-used instead of sent to landfill.

• 256 tonnes of timber was collected from site by Community Wood Social Enterprise for direct re-use or recycling (100% was diverted from landfill).

• 10 pallets of spare bricks were donated to St Edmunds Society for use in their training of apprentice bricklayers.

Biodiversity net gain

The school carries out extensive outdoor learning on the principals of a ‘forest school’ and the aim of the biodiversity works was to link the existing outdoor and wet woodland areas to the new site, to extend these learning opportunities.

The pupils helped with these biodiversity efforts by construction bird boxes using the waste timber and planting almost 1000 hedge whips/ new trees in the existing school grounds as part of a sustainability project. We also ensured extensive tree and hedge planting to create a 14% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Along with wildflower seeding in the new landscaped area.

Bechstein Bats

Bechstein Bats, one of the UK’s rarest bat species, were found living in the school woodlands so it was imperative that we protected these, not only during the construction but also by improving their future environment. Through regular ecologist visits, we:

• Ensured tree limbs with roosts were removed and relocated to nearby woodlands for felled trees
• Created a bat corridor, to link the bat nursey in the existing school to the woodland area of the site
• Installed eight bat boxes on the façade of the new building
• Developed lighting controls, to prevent disturbance to the bats during construction activities.

Ecology assistance also helped with the clearance of an old ditch and scrubland, to ensure the protection of amphibians and reptiles. Badger Setts were also discovered upon which an Environmental Buffer Zone was established, during construction regular checks were carried out by ecologists.

Speaking about the school, Cllr Jane Davies Cabinet Member for SEND said:

“This is an important milestone in ensuring we have enough places to create a first class education for our SEND pupils. Our carefully thought out plans show how we will be mindful of the environment and rich nature on the site and feedback from our school community and wider communities.

Sean McKeown, headteacher, said:

“Our school community across all three campuses have been involved in shaping these excellent facilities which will make a real difference to all our pupils and help meet a real need for additional spaces for the future.”

Read our 'Building for All' whitepaper here.