Burntwood School Wins Architecture Award

For its £40 million redesign and refurbishment

The £40m redesign and refurbishment of Wandsowth's Burntwood School has been honoured in one of Europe’s most prestigious architecture and urban design competitions.

The girls school in Burntwood Lane was presented with a prized Civic Trust Award after it was extensively remodelled and rebuilt last year as part of a £40m investment in education in the borough. 

The new-look campus now has four brand new teaching blocks, a new performing arts centre and a new sports hall. An IT learning centre and new state-of-the-art science laboratories reinforce its reputation as a centre of excellence for science.

The school’s assembly hall and swimming pool and gymnasium building were also extensively refurbished and modernised while the redesigned campus also benefited from major landscaping improvements.

The changes have allowed the school to cater for an additional 250 pupils, including an expanded sixth form of up to 400 students.

Burntwood School's award winning campus. Pic courtesy of AHMM Architects

The building works were carried out by leading regeneration partner Lend Lease with the design work led by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), whose website showcases the project. 

The money to pay for these improvements was secured from the government’s now discontinued Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Civic Trust Awards are given to projects that demonstrate high quality architecture or design, have demonstrated sustainability, are accessible to all users and have made a positive cultural, social or economic contribution to the local community. The awards scheme was established in 1959 to recognise the very best in architecture, design, planning, landscape and public art. 

The school’s principal Helen Dorfman said: "We are delighted that the new school buildings have won a Civic Trust Award. This is a prestigious award for building schemes that demonstrate excellence in architecture and design whilst providing a positive, social and cultural benefit to the community.

“The facilities are too numerous to list, but include marvellous sports facilities, outstanding science laboratories, excellent dance, drama & music provision and a large, well resourced library. The award recognises that Burntwood provides great opportunities for our students and for the wider community. We are, for example, proud to be home to the Wandsworth Music Academy and other community groups.

“Since the completion of the new buildings we have also received two SSAT awards for being in the top 10 per cent of schools nationally for attainment and the top 20 per cent for pupil progress. We believe that the new school facilities have supported the staff and students in achieving this success.

“We have also been shortlisted for the very highly regarded RIBA awards and will be welcoming the judges towards the end of March.”