School buildings praised at property awards

Heltwate School's Jubilee Building was highly commended at the Eastern Echo awards

Two special needs schools - one of which was built on the site of a derelict pub - have been honoured by the property industry.

The £16.9m Valley School in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, won educational project of the year at the Eastern Echo Awards, which are held in Cambridge and recognise excellence in the region.

Head teacher David Pearce said the new building, which has solar panels and biodiverse roofs had "improved our whole school community with an amazing environment in which to teach our young people".

Heltwate School in Peterborough was highly commended for a new building on the site of the former Jubilee pub, which had been closed for several years.

The award is the latest industry gong for the Valley School, which also scooped an England-wide school building prize at the Education Business Awards in London.

The new site opened in January and has net zero carbon emissions.

Pupils have even been able to re-use timber offcuts from the construction to build bird boxes and bug hotels for the school site.

Over-sized ventilation fans have been installed because they run at a lower speed and create less noise, creating a more pleasant environment for children with special educational needs.

The Jubilee Building at Heltwate has sensory and therapy spaces, five classrooms, outdoor covered play spaces and soft play areas.

Katy Cole, Peterborough City Council’s cabinet member for children’s services and education, said the extension of Heltwate School marked “a significant milestone for our community”.