Elm Park Primary School is a bright, spacious and inspiring school, providing flexible spaces to accommodate a range of activities. The two-storey building develops Walters & Cohen's exemplar school design commissioned by the Department for Education in 2003.
Paired year group classrooms share WC and cloakroom facilities, with classroom spaces opening onto a double-height shared 'heart' space. The heart is largely open plan, with a generous amphitheatre stair that doubles as an assembly area and space for group work. The acoustics of the heart are so effective that three or four groups can work simultaneously without disturbing one another. Main and small halls open onto the heart space to create a community-focused building with good visual transparency between spaces.
The internal school environment has been carefully developed to exploit the use and benefits of natural light and natural ventilation. All classrooms have direct access to the outside, facilitating outdoor learning and making the school a pleasant place to learn and work in.
The school was opened by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson on 27 September 2011, and in 2012 was joint winner (with Hylands Primary School) of the BCSE Award for best new build primary school.
