Pioneering CIF-Funded SEND School: A Complete New Build Achievement
Dorothy Goodman Special Needs School, Leicestershire.
.png)
This project represents a landmark achievement in education capital funding: securing complete CIF financing for an entire new school building: a multimillion-pound SEND facility for pupils aged 11-16. Working through the Academy CIF application process, we demonstrated how comprehensive condition evidence and strategic bid preparation can achieve outcomes previously considered unattainable through standard funding routes.
​
The design emerged from genuine partnership. Our team worked alongside the headteacher, business manager, teaching staff, and pupils to create a learning environment responsive to a wide spectrum of educational needs. The design process included input from a sixteen-year-old prefect, proof that effective SEND architecture begins with listening to those who will use the space.
​
Design Approach for Specialist Education
The building responds to neurodivergent learning patterns through environmental design. Oversized, textured roof lights function as purposeful teaching elements rather than decorative features. South-facing classrooms with integrated solar shading capture panoramic meadow views, dissolving the boundary between indoor teaching spaces and the natural landscape.
​
Spatial navigation follows neurodiversity principles: distinct materials, textures, and colours provide intuitive wayfinding cues, reducing cognitive load for pupils with learning difficulties.
Functional Components
The completed facility includes:
-
Sensory and multi-sensory teaching suites designed for therapeutic learning
​
-
Dedicated therapy suite supporting individualized intervention programmes
​
-
Illuminated sensory garden providing regulated outdoor learning opportunities
​
-
Flexible main hall and studio with folding screen configuration
​
-
Community-accessible spaces supporting wider engagement
​
-
Passive ventilation throughout all classrooms, prioritizing air quality for concentration
​
-
Wide circulation routes supporting easy orientation and reducing navigation anxiety
​
-
Purpose-designed areas for art, science, food technology, and design technology
Site-Specific Considerations
​
The school relocation to a new site required careful ecological assessment. Our lighting and landscaping design protected existing bat populations while creating appropriate boundary treatments and external teaching zones.
CIF Application Outcomes
This project demonstrates how thorough condition survey evidence, combined with clear educational need articulation and compliant technical specifications, can secure full capital funding through the Condition Improvement Fund, even for complete new build projects typically considered beyond CIF scope.
Oxfordshire​
​
7 Goddards Lane
The Theatre Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton
OX7 5NP
​​​Cambridgeshire
​
Sheraton House
Castle Park
Cambridge
CB3 OAX​​​
