Brooklands Special School – Skipton, North Yorkshire

Bowman Riley has created designs to enhance the provision of teaching and care facilities at Brooklands School in Skipton to transform the lives of more than 80 pupils aged four to 19 with special educational needs through the Yorkshire Children’s Charity Big Build initiative.

We offered our design services free of charge to refurbish the early years’ classrooms, revamp the dilapidated external areas, including providing wheelchair access to the play areas, and reorganisation of the existing sensory room to create a bigger facility with improved air circulation. The project also consists of the replacement of a garage with a new build specialist rebound therapy centre, which uses trampolines to promote movement, therapeutic exercise, and recreation.

Working as part of a team that includes GMI Construction, Rex Proctor & Partners, and Re-form Landscape Architects, this scheme will deliver state-of-the-art facilities, creating an environment where staff are re-energised to teach and children are excited to learn.

We have also developed further proposals and will continue to support the school in bringing these ideas to fruition in the future.
In addition to our design work, a team of volunteers from our local offices spent a day working on the school grounds, clearing overgrown greenery to create a fairy garden and an area for the children to enjoy pond dipping.

Bowman Riley was awarded ‘Outstanding Contributor’ at the Yorkshires – Commercial Real Estates Awards 2023 for our work on this project.

At Bowman Riley, each member of our team is entitled to a day’s paid volunteering to help a local charity or community group as part of our commitment to social value.

“We work extremely hard to ensure these incredibly special young people have everything they need but our budget only goes so far. I’m thrilled and gratified that the Great Yorkshire Build will make such a difference to our pupils, their families, and our dedicated staff, and I thank all those taking part.”

Fran Cracknell, Headteacher, Brooklands School.