Education Case Study - St Mary's C of E School
The design, resulting from consultation with governors, staff and children aims to provide a flexible, multi-use space of learning, activity and fun. Amphitheatre seating encloses the rubber paved central circle and painted columns form the stage backdrop. The educational part of the design has a Christian message together with a theme of time and space. The central circle has compass markings and the children's own shadow shows the time on an analametic sundial. A floor mosaic of recycled materials depicts the development of civilisation beginning with the standing stones marking our primal origins.
It shows life BC and the birth and celebration of Jesus represented as a mosaic star with a small drinking fountain to symbolise the Water of Life. Two thousand years culminate in the main water feature as a celebration of the millennium which allows exciting but safe interaction with water. The mosaic continues depicting the children's ideas of the future.
The school governors commented: "Our thanks to The Landscape Practice whose vision and direction of the entire project has been quite outstanding" and Bishop John Cavell wrote, "I was most impressed by all I saw: the imaginative design, superb craftsmanship and artistry of the whole centre."