Deer Park School

Ubu design were appointed by Kier to provide landscape proposals as part of the bid submission for a new ESFA funded school in Botley, Southampton. Working closely with the architects, Stride Treglown and the engineer’s Crouch Waterfall a series of design options were developed and refined during the Client Engagement Process.

The new Secondary School includes a ‘super block’ main building creating a modern learning environment for pupils and staff, incorporating the required levels of safeguarding, in a highly energy efficient building. The three storey building includes a central library/learning resource centre, ICT rich classrooms, science labs, art rooms, design and technology facilities and a music and drama department. The school also delivers a sports hall providing a range of indoor courts with associated facilities.

Our design for the external spaces delivers a considered and varied external environment providing a variety of spaces where pupils can socialise and play as well as providing an educational resource.

A range of facilities needed to be incorporated as part of the wider school facilities, including staff parking and floodlit multi-use games area (MUGA).  Sports pitch provision was also a key requirement with facilities to include small and full-size football pitches, rugby pitch, cricket, hockey pitch and an athletics track. These are accessed via a pedestrian bridge through an area of existing woodland and designated Site of Important Nature Conservation (SINC).

The presence of the SINC at the centre of the site contributes to a truly unique environment for the school and the surrounding residential development.  The opportunity for a strong connection to this landscape feature and the natural environment has been incorporated into the design principles for the school using large windows and open corridors, which offer views of the SINC.

In addition, several of the new facilities have the potential to be made available for use by the surrounding community for use out of hours by local groups, teams and sports organisations. Community use has been carefully considered as part of the overall design to ensure that security of the school can be maintained while allowing access requiring with minimal administration or management required by the school.

As a Free School, Deer Park School is operated by the Wildern Academy Trust.  To provide additional revenue streams the design creates various zones across the site to allow out of hours use of the buildings; including use of the sports hall, dining and assembly halls.

The school opened in September 2021 and is the first element of a wider development in the area which will deliver almost 1,000 new homes.