Project of the month: Elm Court School, Lambeth

Elm Court School has found itself the centre of attention once again thanks to an English Heritage campaign to highlight the potential for refurbishment of older schools. Its building project was completed almost a year ago, but has been rightly highlighted this week by English Heritage and Partnerships for Schools as an exemplar refurbishment scheme.

The £7.5m project, carried out by Apollo to a design by JM Architects, gave a new lease of life to a dilapidated Edwardian building, formerly the Strand Grammar School. The Elm Court School, a school for students aged 11-16 with special educational needs, had outgrown its premises and needed to relocate. The solution was to update the nearby Strand Grammar School building, which had fallen into dereliction since the eighties, when it ceased being used for education.

The result is a stunning partnership between old and new which means Elm Court School now has enhanced space, bright airy classrooms and an energy efficient air handling system. It is attended by more than 100 students, who also benefit from two new buildings for sport, music and drama.

Baroness Andrews, chair of English Heritage, said: “Inspirational surroundings can have a hugely enriching effect on education. And as we are recognising through more research, many historic school buildings are beautifully designed and were built to last; some reflect changes in educational practice and have historical significance too, and many are landmark buildings which mean so much to local communities.”