School signage, a case study in the holistic approach

So often the signage of a school is a cocktail of mismatched and ill-considered elements – the product of years of piecemeal additions. An important opportunity to convey a cohesive message and a sense of school values to visitors is lost. Recognising this, Peter Wain, recently appointed Head Teacher of Portfields Primary School in Newport Pagnell, set about rectifying the problem and in so doing, involved children, parents, staff and suppliers in a collaborative project to give the school a strong and clearly expressed identity. The Problem: Opened in April 1976 as Portfields Combined School, the site had been the subject to constant development, not least due to its proximity to the rapidly expanding new city of Milton Keynes. As is frequently the case, the school buildings had seen considerable organic growth over the years, in order to accommodate an evolving pattern of usage. One consequence of this was that the clarity of the original layout and pedestrian flows of the site had been lost. This manifested itself not only in the lack of a clearly defined route from the main gate to reception (confusing and off-putting to visitors) but also multiple entrances which, given the continuing emphasis on school security and safeguarding of young children, were now proving impractical. In parallel to this lack of physical clarity, the unified nature of the original signage and indeed, more widely, the school’s graphic identity used in day to day communications with parents and the outside world, had also lost focus. The Solution: In setting out to find a solution, it was clear that, for any scheme to have a lasting impact, the process needed to be inclusive and achieve a feeling of ownership amongst the wider school community. Accordingly pupils were invited to submit their own designs for a new school logo. Although in the minds of many, Newport Pagnell will forever be linked with the eponymous service station, this Buckinghamshire market town has a long history. For many years it was the home of the sports car manufacturer Aston Martin whilst Tickford Bridge, which was built in 1810 and spans the River Ouse, is cited as the oldest iron bridge still in constant use.

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