News:

Planning Granted for Park Mains High School

10 December 2010

Renfrewshire Council have granted detailed planning consent for a groundbreaking new-build school in Erskine. The flagship Park Mains School project for Renfrewshire Council will not only provide secondary education for the pupils of Erskine and the surrounding villages of Bishopton, Inchinnan and Langbank, but it’s state-of-the-art facilities will also be available and integral to the wider community.

The innovative new building, which will accommodate 1400 pupils and 136 staff, will feature teaching spaces arranged across 3 levels, as well as a range of enhanced PE facilities. A multi-use Assembly Hall with main stage and tiered stadium style seating has also been designed to accommodate local community activities including drama and theatre groups. One of the most dramatic aspects of the design is a central atrium, which is flooded with natural light from rooflights and glazing that overlooks the external courtyard area.

Informed by the Curriculum for Excellence in school design, the plans include a series of ‘break-out’ spaces outside classrooms that will help to facilitate a variety of learning environments. Greater flexibility within classrooms spaces has also been created to enable teachers to deliver different types of learning, thereby allowing an emphasis on topic rather than subject based learning.

Park Mains School Project Architect Craig Heap commented: “This flagship project reinforces the idea of the school building as an important resource, not only for the pupils and staff but for the wider community as a whole. We’re hopeful that it’s a resource that will be cherished for years to come.
The community, staff and pupils will experience a great deal of variety and delight as they move around the school. In fact it will be a pleasure to work, eat, learn, play, teach and socialise in this new building.”

The School is due to start on site in early 2011 with completion anticipated in Autumn 2012.

For further information and images contact Sandy McMillan