King Edward’s School, Bath has revealed new images showing the outdoor learning and play spaces being created as part of a £3 million redevelopment of its Pre-Prep and Junior School provision.
The investment will see King Edward’s Pre-Prep and Junior Schools brought together on the North Road campus, creating a new environment designed specifically for primary-aged children.
Plans include a dedicated Early Years area with indoor-outdoor free-flow learning, specialist Pre-Prep classrooms and play spaces, improved STEM and music facilities, enhanced outdoor education provision, an extended kitchen with bespoke menus, improved practical facilities and a new reception area.
The school has now shared the first detailed images of the outdoor learning and play environments being developed for Early Years, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. The first phase of the outdoor redevelopment is due to be completed in January 2027, when Pre-Prep pupils will move to the North Road campus. A second outdoor area will then follow, creating a series of spaces designed around the different needs of younger pupils.
The new areas are intended to encourage curiosity, imagination and child-led discovery, with opportunities for adventure, play and problem-solving alongside quieter spaces for children to explore and learn at their own pace.
Ideas developed by King Edward’s teachers and school leaders have helped shape the designs, which also take inspiration from Bath’s distinctive landscape and architecture. Features will draw on the city’s crescents, waterways, bridges, hidden passageways and green spaces, creating an environment that offers children a sense of place while encouraging them to investigate and make their own discoveries.
Sean Price, Head of King Edward’s Pre-Prep and Junior School, said, “This is about creating spaces where children feel excited to learn, play and explore every day. The designs reflect what our staff know about how young children develop confidence, independence and curiosity, and we are delighted to share this first glimpse of what is to come.”
The redevelopment forms part of a wider £3 million investment announced by King Edward’s earlier this year. The school said the project reflected its belief that young children benefit from environments that combine stimulation and ambition with a nurturing approach.
The outdoor areas have been developed in partnership with Bath-based Greenhalgh Landscape Architects. The company was previously involved in the restoration of Sydney Gardens, one of the UK’s last surviving Georgian pleasure gardens, including the creation of an extensive new play area.
King Edward’s says the move to bring its Pre-Prep and Junior Schools together will mark the beginning of a new chapter for its younger pupils when the first phase opens in January.
