Pupils will be lining up to go into colourful pod-like entrances on the first day at the new Oakwood Community Primary School – one of three new primary schools to open in Plymouth this term.

Over 300 excited pupils will be sampling 21st century school life this week in the first of two schools to be completed in the £14 million Southernway Federation project funded by a Central Government Targeted Capital fund and delivered by Plymouth City Council.

Langley Infants and Langley Junior Schools amalgamated in September 2008 and became Oakwood Primary School but were housed in the original Langley Junior building while the new building was completed.

Some existing Langley Infant buildings were extended to create a colourful child-friendly learning environment, including a large extension with seven pod-style classrooms and a studio. There is also an integrated unit for eight pupils from Mount Tamar School that offers an inclusive education for children with special needs.


The children have been involved throughout the design and build process and had a strong input on what sort of environment they would like to learn in, particularly the colour scheme and interesting landscaping.

They were able to watch the building process very closely and the youngest children had their own building materials and created their own building sites in their outdoor play area. They developed a good relationship with the site manager who talked to the children about the building and health and safety on the site.

A central street has been created to zigzag its way through the heart of the school and provides space for break out learning, allowing children to have a personalised learning experience.

There is a comfort zone for children and teachers to carry out group work. There is no ICT suite as every child in KS2 will have their own electronic notebook to work on and KS1 has constant access to ICT in their street area.

The school is landscaped to include an ecology area for natural studies and wildlife work, a sensory garden and a mini allotment for each class. There is also a multi-use games area for mini netball and football matches and a range of soft play areas.

Team Head Teacher Andrea Norris said: "We have all been looking forward to this for a long time and can’t wait to move in completely. We wanted to create a child-friendly environment with lots of bright colours and exciting features that really suit those who will be using it. This whole project has come out of a great deal of community consultation and we are looking forward to the community realising the benefits."

(CD/GK)