Mossbourne Community Academy

The Mossbourne Community Academy was established as part of a government initiative led by the Department of Education and Skills. The academy is publicly funded with significant support from sponsor and businessman Clive Bourne. It will have places for up to 900 pupils aged 11 to 16, with a specialist curriculum in Information and Communication Technology. The Academy will also support ongoing adult education to benefit the whole community. The main aspirations as set out in the initial brief were to achieve a building that expresses accessibility, openness and a sense of inclusion whilst providing a sense of place, security and belonging. In addition, flexible teaching spaces that could respond to changing needs, both structured and organic was also a priority.

The triangular site for the Academy, previously the location of the derelict Hackney Downs School, is dominated on two sides by railway tracks and as a result is subject to a high degree of noise and vibrations. On the third side, to the north, the site looks out over Hackney Downs, one of the few green spaces in the borough.

The design was informed by a new curriculum developed by Principal, Sir Michael Wilshaw. From the earliest stages, a wide range of events and exercises took place in the community to ensure that the needs of the students and teachers were incorporated into the design process. Educational consultants were closely involved in discussions on future requirements, and dialogue was initiated by the local education authority with the students. Meetings between parents and teachers in local primary schools and open evenings for prospective parents and students at which RRP was present, also created a forum for open discussion, ideas and views.