St Josephs RC Comprehensive School

St Josephs RC School
Mill Lane
Hebburn
Tyne And Wear
NE31 2ET

Tel 08444 772500
Fax 0191 4210531

Web www.stjosephs.uk.net

Headteacher Dr J A Campbell

Project Status - In construction

St Joseph’s RC VA School is a co-educational 11 – 18 school with a specialism in Technology.

The Project

At St Joseph’s RC School inspiredspaces have developed an exciting design that replaces most of the existing accommodation with a new three storey teaching block including a new vibrant main frontage. The proposals have developed to maximise the amount of new accommodation for the school and contain genuinely inspiring spaces that will support the transformation of education and communities.

The new three storey teaching block proposed will be located to front onto Mill Lane behind a new main vehicular parking area and accessed from a new pedestrian plaza. The appearance of the building has been influenced by the desire to create a new strong and modern presence for the school within the community that reflects the local area and the ethos of the school as well as celebrating the schools specialism

The landscape proposals developed for St Joseph’s create a clear, visual identity for the school that complements and works with the architectural statement and functioning of the building. The clear and complete separation of pedestrian and vehicular circulation and access to the school allows much more to be made of the outdoor spaces. The playing fields and all weather pitch are located together for ease of supervision and access from the sports hall and are located directly off the new access road. It also ensures that the extent of green, open space on the site is highlighted.

Learning Opportunities

The new main entrance to the school will be visible and obvious to pupils, staff, community users and visitors, and beyond this, the new teaching spaces, located along a street which runs the full length and height of the new building, provide a new vibrant heart to the school.

Spread around the school site are a variety of educational, social and play spaces including a performance area, allotment gardens, wildlife gardens, technology gardens and a dining terrace on the southern aspect which will support a variety of teaching approaches and learning methods. The external performance area is proposed adjacent to the entrance plaza bringing the activity of the school to the front and creating a link with the church which will support the performing arts and faith celebrations.

The Community

Community access to St Joseph’s RC College has been considered ensuring that the whole site and building will be accessible to and can be shared by the community. The new main reception area provides direct access to the main dining and sports facilities as well as the new learning resource centre and ICT facilities. All of which will be available for use by the local community to encourage use of the new facilities.

The building and grounds have been designed to create a well liked, high quality environment which can be developed as an integral focal point within the community.