PFI project to replace the existing Boldon School in South Shields with a new 1050 pupil secondary school. The main entrance is a dramatic statement at the end of the vista of the main access road. This is a combined theatre and school foyer atrium with a large glazed wall, a feature entrance canopy and a bespoke steel stair rising to a balcony above. A simple central spine corridor gives a clear and logical layout, and is cranked to make it feel less oppressive. The Sports Centre has a pool, gym, internal halls and external games areas. A centrally located room core houses facilities to be used by the whole of the centre. The building has been designed using defensible space principles to give four external, well defined spaces which can easily be monitored. Sustainability underpins the design philosophy adopted for the schools external environment so that it becomes a total teaching resource. By providing an external environment that continues the sustainability philosophy, students are exposed to this powerful message as part of their daily school life. All materials have been chosen to maximise the opportunity for recycling, to enable maintenance regimes to be used to maintain optimum performances. Further information Disabled access was a high priority in this design: two lifts to all floors are included, staircases are designed for the ambulant disabled in pitch and with contrasting colour and textured floor indicators. Disabled toilets are located on every floor and are well spaced about the building. All entrances are ramped, and the orientation of the building layout can easily be understood.