Orchards Academy, Mixed Comprehensive Secondary School

Set within a compact tree-lined site surrounded by a road and residential area, Orchard Academy needed a complete rethink.

The existing buildings were at the end of their life; movement on site was disjointed, drainage routes, protected trees and retained sports pitches limited where new buildings could go, plus, the school needed to stay fully operational throughout construction.

Guided by a Department for Education’s Feasibility Study and the School-Specific Brief, the design responds to real constraints, a single pupil entrance used by 95% of pupils who walk to school, ASD taxi arrivals, busy local roads and a desire for stronger community links, while creating a clear architectural frontage, safer routes, flexible teaching environments and a school that feels connected to pupils and Swanley.

Orchards Academy transforms an ageing, fragmented campus into a coherent secondary school designed around its landscape, community and the everyday experience of learning.

Working within a tightly constrained site, bounded by protected trees, retained sports pitches and surrounding residential streets, the design responds to complex operational challenges while enabling the school to remain fully operational throughout construction.

A new L-shaped teaching block creates a clear and legible campus, improving circulation, supervision and wayfinding while establishing a welcoming frontage along St Mary’s Road. The design supports the single entrance used by around 95% of pupils who walk to school, creating a safer, calmer arrival and stronger connection with the local community.

Purpose-built specialist accommodation for The Grove (ASD provision) and the Harvey Centre (SEN provision) provides quieter learning environments, dedicated drop-off facilities and secure sensory gardens. Neuro-inclusive design principles, including carefully considered acoustics, colour and material choices, reduce sensory overload while ensuring these spaces remain connected to the wider school.

Community use was embedded into the masterplan from the outset. A standalone sports and hall block, complete with its own entrance and secure zoning, enables evening and weekend access to sports, performance and community facilities without compromising the safety or operation of the teaching spaces.

One of the school’s ambitions was to share its facilities with the community, without compromising pupil safety. The design does this by giving the hall block, containing the sports hall, activity studio, changing rooms, dining and main hall it’s own identity and operation.

The teaching block is always secured after school hours, but the hall block can remain open independently.

A carefully planned secure line runs between the two blocks, protecting classrooms, staff areas and internal circulation routes, while creating a safe boundary around the spaces intended for out-of-hours use.

To support this, the hall block includes:

• a separate community entrance
• dedicated toilet and hygiene spaces, meaning no access is needed to teaching areas.
• Direct routes to the sports hall and activity studio without passing through school spaces.
• Clear visibility from the entrance plaza, thanks to the double-height glazing.

The dining space and main hall sit behind the secure line, ensuring catering and performance spaces used during the school day are protected after hours. This arrangement makes community easy to manage, safe to supervise and simple for staff.

This offers Swanley residents new opportunities for sport, performance and events without placing additional pressure on the school’s operations.

The redevelopment has fundamentally improved how the school functions for pupils, staff and the wider Swanley community.

Wider circulation spaces, abundant natural daylight, enhanced ventilation and improved acoustic performance create healthier, more comfortable learning environments that support concentration, wellbeing and everyday teaching.

Extensive engagement with the Department for Education, the Trust, school staff, curriculum leaders, planners, Sport England, the Town Council and local residents ensured the scheme reflected both educational priorities and community aspirations. Public consultation demonstrated strong support for the proposals, while transport assessments confirmed that improved site organisation could be achieved without increasing wider traffic impacts.

Beyond the school day, the new sports hall, activity studio and community facilities provide valuable local amenities, transforming the campus into a civic asset that supports sport, wellbeing and community activity throughout the year.

Designed to meet the Department for Education’s Net Zero in Operation requirements, Orchards Academy combines passive design principles, low-carbon technologies and biodiversity enhancements to deliver a high-performing, future-ready school.

Existing mature trees were retained wherever possible, shaping the layout while providing natural shading, habitat and established green spaces. A Bauder green roof, new landscaping and carefully integrated planting contribute towards achieving the DfE’s 10% Biodiversity Net Gain and Urban Greening Factor targets.The compact building form maximises daylight while reducing overheating. Hybrid ventilation, exposed thermal mass and dedicated ventilation chimneys provide natural airflow and night-time cooling, improving comfort while reducing operational energy demand.Low-carbon building services include air source heat pumps, roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, high-performance insulation, solar control glazing and demand-responsive ventilation systems that monitor CO₂ levels and temperature.

A coordinated kit-of-parts construction approach, incorporating a steel frame, precast floor systems and standardised components, reduced construction waste, improved quality and minimised disruption, allowing the school to remain operational throughout the build.Durable materials, flexible service zones and adaptable internal layouts ensure the building can evolve alongside future educational needs, creating a resilient, lower-carbon campus that will serve Swanley for decades to come.