Darlington Schools

The challenge for Kajima was to build the first integrated and inclusive school in the UK, with state-of-the-art facilities suitable for all of its pupils. The result is a premier school that promotes a collective sense of community whilst also providing more tailored learning spaces for use by its special needs pupils.

The school is laid out as a series of buildings linked by glazed internal streets, overlooking a village green with communal dining areas arranged as street cafes to encourage social interaction. Its modern facilities include a sensory room, hydro-therapy pool and a sensory garden for use by all its students and the local community.

The out of hours facility use is overseen by Kajima Community’s BookingsGuru service which takes the burden of the lettings administration and marketing away from the school, allowing them to focus on delivering outstanding education. Over 6,000 regular users access the facilities each year.

The campus has been much-studied by others as a unique approach to inclusive education. It was awarded for its exceptional design at the 2007 Public Private Finance Awards and shortlisted for a Civic Trust Award in the same year.