Food Technology Room Refurbishment at Tregonwell Academy, Bournemouth

Their requirements

Tregonwell Academy is a specialist school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, part of Ambitions Academies Trust in Bournemouth. The academy’s leadership team came to Westcountry Group with a brief to redesign three food technology classrooms as part of a wider investment in the school’s food and nutrition provision.

Food tech rooms are a specific design challenge in any school. They combine cooking facilities with classroom teaching, take heavy daily use and have to meet food hygiene standards. At Tregonwell, those baseline requirements sat alongside considered thinking about how the spaces feel and function for the pupils who use them. Busy or cluttered environments can be overwhelming, so the design needed to keep sightlines clear and reduce visual noise.

The three rooms were refurbished together so the whole department could benefit from a single coordinated design. Cooking at Tregonwell is a collaborative activity, so the leadership team wanted spaces that supported small-group working.

Our solution

Our design team started with the space planning. Each of the three rooms was laid out with SmartSpace design to support collaborative cooking without feeling cramped when a full class was in, giving every pupil comfortable access to their workstation and to shared cooking equipment. Sightlines stayed clear across the room.

The specification focused on materials and fittings that would hold up to years of intensive use. Non-slip flooring was chosen for safety, and durable work surfaces were specified for long-term robustness. New facilities brought the department up to modern standards.

The colour palette and finishes were kept clean and calm, giving pupils spaces that felt purposeful without adding to the visual load.

Result

The three refurbished food technology rooms now support the department across a full school week. Pupils have the space and equipment to work together on cooking projects, and staff have a set of rooms that feels calm and purposeful.

The specification is designed to serve the school for years to come, giving the department the facilities to deliver the Food and Nutrition curriculum well.