Glenmere Community Primary School

Glenmere Community Primary School

This primary school was built between 1963 and 1964 to designs by the architectural practice Farmer and Dark for the Leicestershire Education Committee, with John Barton and Alistair Tait serving as job architects.

The school is a distinctive single-storey, circular building constructed with a steel and softwood frame and felted roof. The exterior features glazed walls supported by a framework of softwood columns, with brick end walls and softwood boarding to the administrative and classroom wings. The most striking external feature is the zig-zag profile roof structure created by radial steel valleys, ridge beams and folded plate roofs. The glazed walls are cross-braced with steel rods below sill level for reinforcement. Windows throughout the building, except those in the kitchen, were replaced in the early 21st century with plastic-coated aluminium frames replicating the original glazing pattern. During the same period, bottom glazed or timber panels were replaced with aluminium panels. The classroom block features four pairs of classrooms, each sharing a recessed covered porch accessible via a half-glazed timber door, allowing for outside learning in all weathers.

The building's plan comprises a pinwheel centred on a twelve-sided assembly hall, open to the north-east and north-west sides. A quadrant-plan administrative wing radiates north from the central hall, with a shallow store room to the north-west. Two glazed links extend south-east and south-west of the hall, leading to a classroom wing of half-ring plan that wraps around the south-east, south and south-west sides of the hall. Between the glazed links sits a courtyard garden with a pond.

The central assembly hall displays the structural components both internally and externally, including radial laminated timber valley beams and solid timber beams forming the roof's ridges. A restraining steel tie beam runs around the circumference where roof timbers meet the wall columns. The laminated timber radial roof beams meet at the apex and butt against a central steel drum. Purlins between valley and ridge beams support a tongue and groove ceiling finish. A plywood web beam halfway up the wall structure braces the columns and contributes to the acoustics. Circular wall lights are regularly spaced along this beam, though these appear to have been replaced; square lights have been added to the ceiling. The hall's walls are glazed on the south, east and west sides, with some panels at the rear of the stage blackened to reduce light. The floor is hardwood parquet.

Integral to this open space and extending north from the hall is a flat-roofed foyer with black and white vinyl flooring laid in concentric arcs. This area functions as a dining room, with the kitchen beyond to the north. The kitchen retains its original timber serving hatch, internal doors and many fitted cupboards, as well as original windows, external doors and terracotta quarry tile flooring. When not in use, the kitchen is closed off from the hall with hydraulic shutters, now replaced. East of the kitchen are a small library, headteacher's office, premises officer's office and storeroom, created from a former classroom and PE store whilst retaining the original floor plan. West of the kitchen are the staff room, first aid room, reception, offices and staff WCs. A PE and chair store room is also accessible from the western side of the central hall as part of the original plan.

Short flights of steps on either side of the hall's stage lead to glazed link corridors and the classroom wing beyond. Within the classroom wing, a shared corridor with matching black and white vinyl flooring invites movement along its entire length. The roof structure comprises radial steel valley and ridge beams supporting timber purlins, with steel rod bracing at longer spans. Timber columns are bolted to beams via a steel T-leg slotted into the timber. The four pairs of classrooms each have a practical area overlooking the internal courtyard, whilst the classrooms themselves overlook the playing fields. The practical areas retain many original fixtures and fittings at child height and scale, including fitted cupboards with inset sinks, pigeon holes, coat hooks, and girls and boys WCs. Classrooms were originally accessed via angled timber and glazed doors accommodating the zigzag roof profile; these were replaced with rectangular fire doors in the early 21st century. Softwood boarding dadoes survive to varying degrees within each classroom, with pin board or plaster board above for displaying work. Low fitted cupboards beneath the glazing survive in places, some with original sliding doors, though others are now open-fronted or concealed behind curtains. Each classroom has a teacher's office or storeroom, many retaining original fitted cupboards. At the eastern end of the classroom block, a former kiln room has been converted into a large linen store cupboard after the kiln's removal.

The administrative and classroom wing floors are finished with vinyl tiles, while the assembly hall features hardwood parquet flooring.