The school is designed to meet emotional and physical needs of children based on a clear pedagogical approach developed from staff experience and drawing on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Personalised Learning at Abbots Green

• Learner voice is a guiding principle for interaction with pupils at the school. Learners are continuously asked their opinion about what they find interesting in each subject, teachers then steer their class projects towards the interests of pupils within the parameters of the National Curriculum.
• Learners are encouraged to choose how they wish to investigate and learn throughout a project. Learners are encouraged to work at their own speed, in their own time and are able to create their own environments.
• Parental and community engagement is seen as an important factor in supporting learner voice and choice through expanding the schools’ understanding of each pupils background and needs.

Design philosophy

Throughout the school there is great diversity of possible learning spaces. Notably certain areas of circulation, such as the school ‘street’ linking the two main buildings, are adaptable to support a range of activities. The outdoor areas are considered an extension of the learning environment and a range of settings are found here supported by specialist staff. These spaces have been designed through children’s eyes with open ground, tree houses, digging and building zones (including an eighteen metre giant that the children have designed and named Joe).

Visual connectivity and transparency is provided by clear sight lines throughout the school. Windows are set at learner height following the principle of bringing the outdoors space in and keeping the learner at the centre of design where appropriate.

Spatial fluidity is good in the school; movement for staff and pupils through the school is easy, particularly between classrooms and main communal school areas.

Private and confidential facilities are provided in a parent’s room for teachers to meet with parents. Furthermore parental access and involvement is encouraged through the provision of a number of touchdown spaces in reception, specifically aimed at parents to enable them to access the internet and/or do their own administrative work whilst they wait for children and/or staff.