Abbeyfield School – SEN Hub Refurbishment

    Overview

Abbeyfield School is a large mainstream secondary school in Northampton that wanted to improve its SEN provision to better support the growing and changing needs of its students.

The aim was to create a dedicated SEN environment that could accommodate a broad range of activities and support requirements, while providing a calm, welcoming and practical space for both students and staff.

Working collaboratively with the school’s SEN and operations teams, we developed a furniture and layout solution designed around how the space would actually be used on a day-to-day basis.

    The Solution

Working closely with the school’s SEN and operations teams, we recommended furniture solutions suited to the intended purpose of each area.

A mixture of seating styles was introduced throughout the hub, ranging from traditional classroom chairs to wobble stools and flexible soft seating. This variety allows staff to provide different seating options depending on individual student preferences and requirements.

The layout was carefully planned to provide clearly defined teaching, regulation and support areas without overfilling the available space. Importantly, sufficient open floor space was maintained to allow sensory circuits and other activities to take place when required.

Furniture, fabrics, finishes and colours were considered as part of the wider environment, creating a coordinated scheme that feels welcoming without becoming overly stimulating.

    The Vision

The vision was to create an adaptable SEN hub that could support different students, different activities and different levels of need within one cohesive environment.

Rather than designing the space around a single type of learning, the focus was on flexibility. The hub needed to include teaching areas, regulation spaces and dedicated ELSA support rooms, while retaining sufficient open space for sensory circuits and movement-based activities.

Creating the right atmosphere was equally important. A colour palette inspired by the natural world was developed using greens, earthy tones and subtle touches of yellow, helping give the SEN department its own identity while contributing to a calmer and more considered environment.

    The Outcome

The completed SEN hub provides Abbeyfield School with a flexible and purposeful environment capable of adapting to the individual needs of its students.

Different furniture and seating options allow the space to be used in multiple ways, while dedicated teaching, regulation and ELSA areas provide greater choice for both students and staff.

By combining practical furniture solutions with a calming, nature-inspired colour palette and adaptable layout, the new SEN department provides the school with a welcoming and future-proofed facility designed to support its growing SEN provision.