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St Cuthbert Mayne School
Torquay
SUMMARY
An education landscape project transforming former modular classroom areas into accessible, low-maintenance student social spaces. Redbay created two distinct outdoor zones, balancing active use, quieter gathering areas, passive surveillance, robust materials, improved access and biodiversity-led planting.
LOCATION
Torquay
CLIENT
St Cuthbert Mayne School and Exeter Diocese
PARTNERS
-
SECTOR
Landscape Planning
COMPLETION:
June 2024
SERVICE TAGS
Concept Design & Masterplanning, Hard Landscape Design, Planting Design, Healthcare & education landscapes, Construction Detailing
Redbay was appointed to transform part of the school’s external grounds into functional, accessible and low-maintenance social spaces for students. The site had previously housed two modular classrooms and needed to become a safer, more useful outdoor environment that supported daily pupil movement, social interaction and school operations.
Redbay provided landscape design and site inspections, shaping the layout, surfacing, seating, planting, retaining elements and accessible routeways. The work included creating two distinct zones: a bright active social space for movement and larger gatherings, and a quieter, more naturalistic area for smaller groups and calmer use.
The design needed to respond to several practical and behavioural challenges. Materials had to be robust and low maintenance, with no regular treatment or intensive upkeep required. The layout also needed to support passive surveillance, avoiding hidden pockets that could encourage bullying or hiding.
Accessibility was another key challenge. Redbay needed to create a workable route between the canteen area and upper playgrounds while dealing with complex changes in level. The new access system also had to improve pupil movement to fire alarm muster points and reduce pressure on existing external stairs.
The completed design created two complementary outdoor spaces that support different types of student use. Area A became a brighter, more active space, with amphitheatre-style seating, surface painted games, durable tarmac, sculptural modular seating, wavy benches and picnic tables. This gave students a more open, energetic place for movement, play and group gathering.
Area B was designed as a quieter social space, using low sculpted grass mounds, long grass, flowering species, alcove seating, gabion baskets, gravel or green tarmac surfaces and a variety of timber benches. This created a softer, more natural setting for smaller groups and calmer interaction.
The wider scheme improved accessibility through a zigzagging ramp system aiming for a manageable 1:12 gradient, while protecting existing trees through no-dig surfacing where required. The planting strategy added seasonal interest and biodiversity through flowering trees, orchard trees, reinstated native hedging, native thicket mixes, low shrubs, trailing ground covers, prairie planting and wildflower meadow mixes.
