EDUCATION PROJECTS

With aspirations to improve sports facilities, deliver a new sixth form centre, and expand its educational offering, the school needed help bringing structure and clarity to a complex set of projects, each with its own goals, sensitivities, and timelines.

Navigating this journey meant balancing tight financial parameters, environmental planning constraints, and the priorities of a broad and passionate school community. It wasn’t just about buildings. It was about ensuring that every decision reflected the school’s values, ambitions, and future.

Our role was to bring strategy, clarity, and cohesion to an evolving landscape, while building trust across diverse stakeholder groups.

Strategic team leadership
We created a collaborative framework across two architectural teams, helping maintain consistency while respecting the unique brief and constraints of each project.

Stakeholder engagement
From students and teachers to governors and planning authorities, we built a structured engagement programme that brought the right people into the conversation at the right time.

Workshop facilitation
We designed and led purposeful, safe-space workshops that encouraged openness and helped surface the priorities, challenges, and tensions that needed addressing.

Translating complexity
We distilled complex technical and financial detail into accessible, engaging content—empowering different groups to engage meaningfully in the process.

Board support
At key decision points, we supported the school’s leadership with focused, evidence-based presentations, building confidence in the direction and investment plan.

Planning strategy
Working closely with planning consultants, we shaped an approach that respected the National Park setting, emphasising landscape sensitivity and design quality.

At the heart of our approach was active relationship management, not just between teams and consultants, but within the school community itself. We held the space between competing voices, ensuring momentum was sustained and the vision remained coherent.

The result is a clear, phased development strategy that balances the school’s educational ambition with its financial and environmental realities.

Planning approval has already been secured for the first major project, a significant milestone in a highly protected planning environment.

But perhaps more importantly, there is now genuine alignment across the school community. Because we didn’t just manage projects, we built understanding, trust, and shared ownership.