Leigh Academy Blackheath

A school positioned at the heart of the community.

Leigh Academy Blackheath is situated in the heart of Blackheath in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, on the site of a former school. The new academy will provide accommodation for 900 secondary school pupils as well as a 250 place 6th form.

This school will be the latest addition to the Leigh Academies Trust’s (LAT) family of exemplary schools across Kent and South East London. LAT operate a “school within a school” model across all of its secondary academies. This is implemented by splitting the cohort into 3 “colleges”, with their own physical, dedicated teaching and social spaces within the school.

The new building will provide 8845 sqm of high quality internal learning environment over three storeys, with one dedicated “college” area per floor and shared specialist teaching areas split between them.

The accommodation is arranged around an external courtyard, a secure, flexible space that allows light to enter the heart of the building. The open plan dining area, visible from the entrance of the school, flows into the courtyard, allowing visitors to see through the building to the activity within.

Circulation modeling was undertaken on this project to inform the design of stairs, corridors and access and egress points, advising where congestion might occur and how to mitigate against it. Staff offices and workrooms are strategically placed on the circulation routes to provide excellent levels of passive supervision in all areas of the school.

The community spaces are located close to the entrance, towards the front of the site, allowing ease of use by local residents, groups and clubs making the building a hub for the local community.