Sustainable Drainage Castle Hills Primary Academy, Doncaster
Project Details
Sector: Education
Location: Castle Hills Primary Academy, Doncaster
Collaborating Organisations: Sudsplanter Ltd., Doncaster City Council, Yorkshire Water, S.M.I.L.E Horticulture Learning Centre
Date: March 2024
Situation
Regeneration and retrofit – This case study shows how SuDS improve existing places and spaces. Retrofitting SuDS can be a challenge – describing innovative processes will be key.
SuDS Components Used
- 18 SuDS planter Units
- 5 disconnection features
- Educational Signage
- Interactive Hand Pump Features
- Size of the scheme and its local context is a Typical primary academy. Total school site approx. 3.5 Ha with total roof area being drained of 0.37 Ha
Benefits of the scheme
- Managing local flood risk.
- Increases biodiversity.
- Improves water quality within the local area.
- Bringing interactive aspects to SuDS.
- Provides educational intervention for every class in the school.
- Provides teaching aid for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
- Uplifting the school environment.
- Outdoor classroom aid.
Castle Hills Primary Academy, located in the suburbs of Doncaster, provides a learning environment for 500 children. The surrounding sewer system has suffered from increasing flows causing sewer flooding issues within the surrounding catchment.
Castle Hills Primary Academy is part of a larger scheme to expand and aid in:
- Interactive play opportunities
- Slow the flow of roof run-off
- Education
- Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
- Adoptable solutions for all to engage with (parents, teachers, and pupils)
- Collaborative solution benefiting local suppliers
Task
Simple retrofit solution aimed at providing an installation which reduced disruption to the school timetable and allowed interaction with pupils during the install process.
Action
The process to implement SuDS planters within the school itself went very smoothly. Castle Hills Primary Academy were extremely cooperative and willing to engage with the scheme. City of Doncaster Council and Yorkshire Water had meetings with the school helping to explain the wider scheme and the benefits to the school and the wider community.
Challenges
- Creating a planting arrangement which worked with a small charity nursery that grows all their stock from seed.
- Delivering a planting scheme which was seasonal.
- Teaching 500 children about the system and the environmental benefits of SuDS features within the local landscape.
- Realigning some of the existing gutter system to enable flows to be directed into some of the SuDS planter units.
- The use of delivery vehicles needed to be timed to fit with the school timetable so ensuring delivery could be made safely, with the space required to store SuDS planters prior to installation.
Exceptional beyond a standard approach
From an early stage the partners worked together to engage the children of the school, explaining why SuDS have been proposed in the area and what opportunities the children have in developing their own colour palette and planting theme within each SuDS planter. Education tools have been provided to engage the children on the 4 STEM topics to help increase interaction with the SuDS planter once in situ.
Working alongside S.M.I.L.E. we provided a planting scheme which utilises locally sourced plants and allowed the children to visit the nursery and help with the growing process prior to planting onsite.
Measures for management and maintaining
The SuDS planter units are designed to minimise maintenance requirements, ensuring maximum success as a SuDS solution.
As part of the installation process Sudsplanter Ltd provided a maintenance pack outlining the plant species and each of their ongoing maintenance needs including advice on introducing new plants and the variety of species which live in this specialist environment.
This helps to ensure that the success of the planter and planting involves minimal maintenance and is sustainable and long lasting.
Result
The difference this scheme made to the local community.
It has added diverse green space to the school grounds, provided teaching opportunities and interaction with SuDS planter units and learning about the environment and biodiversity. The simple addition of integrated seating encourages interaction and engagement with the pupils.
- Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
- Flood protection to school and surrounding housing
- Educational tool for the local children, and community
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Interactive teaching tool
- Uplifting a concrete environment
The scheme addresses related issues such as water scarcity, nutrient neutrality, and biodiversity net gain.
Introduces almost 24m2 of net new biodiversity planting into the school plus 10m3 of a specialist soil mix. This increases habitat value in the immediate vicinity and provides the optimal environment for the health of the plants.
This also provides a natural filtration system for the roof run-off, improving the water quality discharging to the sewers and provides over 10m3 of water storage/attenuation capacity to alleviate pressures on the sewer.
Two of Suds planters are configured to retain 50% of their storage volume for water reuse and irrigation accessed by a handpump, providing an additional engagement feature for the children.
YW and DCC actively guided the project’s development and delivery process, ensuring that the planting methodology and engagement approach effectively conveyed key messages on flood prevention. Insights gained were shared amongst project working group, informing future SuDS for Schools initiatives.
This includes:
- The development of an information and maintenance pack for schools to engage and adopt the SuDS Planters.
- Development of a plant list capturing plant types accessible for S.M.I.L.E to grow within their licencing restrictions and seasonality.
- Signage – messaging to accompany installs.
- Engagement – promotion of this work to Councillors and local community through site visits and press releases.
This scheme is part of a much wider proposal to deliver SuDS features within the local streetscape to help reduce surface water runoff from the highway, flooding on the school premises and lessen the impact on the local sewer system. The City of Doncaster Council and Yorkshire Water are working towards developing these proposals with the local community and embedding the SuDS solutions into the local landscape whilst teaching the people who live locally about the necessity of these additions to their neighbourhoods.
Value
The introduction of a colourful, interactive, environmentally friendly SuDS scheme within a school setting means future generations of parents and children will have the opportunity to engage with SuDS on a personal level. The SuDS planter units provide a low maintenance, long lasting, environmentally sound, retrofit solution that is personalised to Castle Hills Academy and encourages ownership and pride in the project and the products received.
Sustainable Drainage Castle Hills Primary Academy, Doncaster
Project Details
Sector: Education
Location:Castle Hills Primary Academy, Doncaster
Collaborating Organisations: Sudsplanter Ltd., Doncaster City Council, Yorkshire Water, S.M.I.L.E Horticulture Learning Centre
Date: March 2024
Situation
Regeneration and retrofit – This case study shows how SuDS improve existing places and spaces. Retrofitting SuDS can be a challenge – describing innovative processes will be key.
SuDS Components Used
- 18 SuDS planter Units
- 5 disconnection features
- Educational Signage
- 18 SuDS planter Units
- 5 disconnection features
- Educational SignageInteractive Hand Pump Features
- Size of the scheme and its local context is a Typical primary academy. Total school site approx. 3.5 Ha with total roof area being drained of 0.37 Ha
Benefits of the scheme
- Managing local flood risk.
- Increases biodiversity.
- Improves water quality within the local area.
- Bringing interactive aspects to SuDS.
- Provides educational intervention for every class in the school.
- Provides teaching aid for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
- Uplifting the school environment.
- Outdoor classroom aid.
Castle Hills Primary Academy, located in the suburbs of Doncaster, provides a learning environment for 500 children. The surrounding sewer system has suffered from increasing flows causing sewer flooding issues within the surrounding catchment.
Castle Hills Primary Academy is part of a larger scheme to expand and aid in:
- Interactive play opportunities
- Slow the flow of roof run-off
- Education
- Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
- Adoptable solutions for all to engage with (parents, teachers, and pupils)
- Collaborative solution benefiting local suppliers
Task
Simple retrofit solution aimed at providing an installation which reduced disruption to the school timetable and allowed interaction with pupils during the install process.
Action
The process to implement SuDS planters within the school itself went very smoothly. Castle Hills Primary Academy were extremely cooperative and willing to engage with the scheme. City of Doncaster Council and Yorkshire Water had meetings with the school helping to explain the wider scheme and the benefits to the school and the wider community.
Challenges
- Creating a planting arrangement which worked with a small charity nursery that grows all their stock from seed.
- Delivering a planting scheme which was seasonal.
- Teaching 500 children about the system and the environmental benefits of SuDS features within the local landscape.
- Realigning some of the existing gutter system to enable flows to be directed into some of the SuDS planter units.
- The use of delivery vehicles needed to be timed to fit with the school timetable so ensuring delivery could be made safely, with the space required to store SuDS planters prior to installation.
Exceptional beyond a standard approach
From an early stage the partners worked together to engage the children of the school, explaining why SuDS have been proposed in the area and what opportunities the children have in developing their own colour palette and planting theme within each SuDS planter. Education tools have been provided to engage the children on the 4 STEM topics to help increase interaction with the SuDS planter once in situ.
Working alongside S.M.I.L.E. we provided a planting scheme which utilises locally sourced plants and allowed the children to visit the nursery and help with the growing process prior to planting onsite.
Measures for management and maintaining
The SuDS planter units are designed to minimise maintenance requirements, ensuring maximum success as a SuDS solution.
As part of the installation process Sudsplanter Ltd provided a maintenance pack outlining the plant species and each of their ongoing maintenance needs including advice on introducing new plants and the variety of species which live in this specialist environment.
This helps to ensure that the success of the planter and planting involves minimal maintenance and is sustainable and long lasting.
Result
The difference this scheme made to the local community.
It has added diverse green space to the school grounds, provided teaching opportunities and interaction with SuDS planter units and learning about the environment and biodiversity. The simple addition of integrated seating encourages interaction and engagement with the pupils.
- Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
- Flood protection to school and surrounding housing
- Educational tool for the local children, and community
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Interactive teaching tool
- Uplifting a concrete environment
The scheme addresses related issues such as water scarcity, nutrient neutrality, and biodiversity net gain.
Introduces almost 24m2 of net new biodiversity planting into the school plus 10m3 of a specialist soil mix. This increases habitat value in the immediate vicinity and provides the optimal environment for the health of the plants.
This also provides a natural filtration system for the roof run-off, improving the water quality discharging to the sewers and provides over 10m3 of water storage/attenuation capacity to alleviate pressures on the sewer.
Two of Suds planters are configured to retain 50% of their storage volume for water reuse and irrigation accessed by a handpump, providing an additional engagement feature for the children.
YW and DCC actively guided the project’s development and delivery process, ensuring that the planting methodology and engagement approach effectively conveyed key messages on flood prevention. Insights gained were shared amongst project working group, informing future SuDS for Schools initiatives.
This includes:
- The development of an information and maintenance pack for schools to engage and adopt the SuDS Planters.
- Development of a plant list capturing plant types accessible for S.M.I.L.E to grow within their licencing restrictions and seasonality.
- Signage – messaging to accompany installs.
- Engagement – promotion of this work to Councillors and local community through site visits and press releases.
This scheme is part of a much wider proposal to deliver SuDS features within the local streetscape to help reduce surface water runoff from the highway, flooding on the school premises and lessen the impact on the local sewer system. The City of Doncaster Council and Yorkshire Water are working towards developing these proposals with the local community and embedding the SuDS solutions into the local landscape whilst teaching the people who live locally about the necessity of these additions to their neighbourhoods.
Value
The introduction of a colourful, interactive, environmentally friendly SuDS scheme within a school setting means future generations of parents and children will have the opportunity to engage with SuDS on a personal level. The SuDS planter units provide a low maintenance, long lasting, environmentally sound, retrofit solution that is personalised to Castle Hills Academy and encourages ownership and pride in the project and the products received.
Recent Educational Case Studies
Castle Hills Primary Academy, Doncaster
Project at Merstham Primary School
Implement a flood prevention system that would not only address the immediate flooding issue but also provide educational opportunities for the students.
Southern Water IOW Pathfinder Project
The project aimed to introduce SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) into nearly 100 schools across the Southeast, especially those at risk of flooding by improving CSO performance, enhancing biodiversity and increasing educational awareness.
More questions?
Why not drop us an email if you have any further questions or require any more information.
More Questions?
Why not drop us an email if you have any further questions or require any more information.