Reed’s School Sixth Form Centre and Boarding House

Boarding is at the heart of Reed’s School and its investment in the refurbishment of its Sixth Form House amply demonstrates this.  The new layout incorporates dedicated facilities for boarding, work and recreation for the students and provides a solid foundation for independence and university life.

The original Sixth Form House enjoys a prominent position on the school site at the entrance and was originally opened in 1959 and extended in 2006.  However, as time passed, it became apparent that it lacked well planned space, energy efficiency and a central focus.

IID suggested incorporating an existing underused courtyard area into the sixth form creating a central space with flexibility to function as an occasional assembly space for group gatherings and events, as well as operating as a dedicated study space.

The result is an area that allows the sixth formers to work in a variety of ways: in focused individual carrels, on open or high tables, in groups in a booth or simply to enjoy reading on a sofa.

As part of the works, we included a café and carried out a phased refurbishment of all 41 boarding rooms and their ancillary spaces – ensuring plenty of storage, private workspaces and soft seating for visits by friends.

Sixth formers have their own courtyard block (recently refurbished and now unrecognisable with glassed-over study area and café – ‘….. it’s given it a wonderful lift’).