Design partners announced for replacement Carpenters School and new flats

We're excited to announce that Maccreanor Lavington and Erect Architecture have been appointed to develop designs for a new, fully-inclusive flagship primary school and adjacent residential building, with over 100 new apartments. 
 
The two architect practices will be working closely with Populo and Carpenters Primary School on the plans, in line with Newham’s ambition to improve the site, which sits adjacent to the wider Carpenters Estate. As Newham’s wholly owned development company, Populo Living will oversee the delivery of the school and new apartments. 
 
The proposals will create a new school, capable of expanding to become a three-form entry school, as well as valuable new, high-quality rental units for the local market. The Build to Rent apartments will be used to cross subsidise the construction of the replacement school, making it a cost-effective solution for both the Borough of Newham and the Department for Education. 
 
The designs will be created in line with the staff and pupil’s vision for their school, drawing on Maccreanor Lavington’s extensive experience of working on live school sites, meaning classes can carry on with minimal disruption during the build phase.

As part of the vision, classroom clusters will support a strong identity for each year group and embed opportunities for creativity throughout the school. 
 
Communal spaces within the school will be located to provide a strong civic presence and complement the adjacent planned community centre at James Riley Point, as part of Newham’s commitment to embed high quality social infrastructure at the heart of the Carpenters Estate. Buildings will allow easy access to high quality outdoor space for all pupils, with character and activity areas arranged under and around existing and new trees. 
 
The landscape design is being led by play specialists Erect, who delivered the award-winning Tumbling Bay Playground at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 
 
Planning is expected to be submitted late 2025, with the application independent of the wider Carpenters Estate Masterplan. 

Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham said: “The plans for Carpenters School are a smart solution for a dated building, with enough space to add new homes that will help fund the project – all without impacting students’ experiences. This approach promises a fantastic outcome for local families, giving children a school that's ready for future growth while adding much-needed homes in Newham. It’s a flexible, forward-thinking way to achieve our goals, especially with today’s financial challenges, and we’re excited to see the designs come to life for this innovative project.”

Nick Clough, Carpenters Project Director at Populo Living said: “Populo Living is delighted to be moving forward with the transformation of this site, delivering a modern sustainable fit-for-purpose school for the next generation, whilst making better use of the site and delivering valuable new homes. In times of limited public finance, this cross-subsidy approach is the ideal way to deliver real change. Through replacing the poorly laid out single storey school, which is at the end of its life, with a new school reaching three storeys in height, we are able to provide new school buildings and larger areas of enhanced external play provision for the children.”

Image shows indicative designs only.