Baytree SEN School wins Education Project of the Year at the Michelmores Property Awards
Providing high-quality educational and accessible space for North Somerset’s SEN community, Baytree School is already delivering exceptional experiences for its community. Creating a calm, caring, and tailored environment that supports pupil, staff and community needs has been at the heart of this journey, and we’re so proud to see it win an award.
Baytree SEN School provides a new facility to accommodate teaching, learning, and specialist care for 65-85 children with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) from 3-19 years and directly addresses the growing demand for SEND school places in North Somerset.
A model for inclusive and accessible design
The school includes 11 class bases with adjoining hygiene rooms, a hydrotherapy pool, life skills rooms, sensory and therapy rooms, nursing and treatment rooms, a sports hall with a sunken trampoline, external play areas, sensory gardens, and access for community use. It sets a new benchmark for specialist education facilities and exceeds standard building bulletin guidance on accessibility.
BREEAM ‘Excellent’
The building integrates into its natural surroundings, preserving mature trees and utilising passive design principles to enhance sustainability and minimise energy use, saving 429,067.30 KGCO2E. High performance insulation and air tightness that exceed regulations minimise energy requirements, supporting the North Somerset planning policy.
Judges praised the design team for their close collaboration with pupils, staff and the local authority, resulting in a facility that is highly functional, inclusive and nurturing. They were particularly impressed by the way the building responds to the specific needs of its users through sensory-friendly spaces, calm circulation routes, and outdoor areas that promote wellbeing. The school is embraced by the community, who are invited to use shared facilities such as the café and hydrotherapy pool. This is a beautifully detailed non-institutional building delivered with passion and a clear understanding of what really matters to the learners and staff who use it every day.”
