Full marks for Cockermouth School

Cumberland Council has passed the Department for Education’s application to demolish the school’s existing seven buildings and replace them with two new-build facilities totalling 137,000 sq ft.

Bowmer + Kirkland will deliver the school for DfE. The new school was necessary due to the varying conditions of the current campus.

The project will be done in phase, with a series of smaller buildings on the 14-acre Cockermouth School campus site demolished. Temporary teaching facilities will be brought in and construction will then start. The two current main teaching blocks will be razed only after the new school is complete.

Bond Bryan Architects designed the replacement secondary school and sixth form. The building, capacity wise, will be a like-for-like replacement for its predecessor and capable of holding 1,460 students and 169 full-time staff, according to council reports.

The scheme also will provide 140 bays for cars to park, including 17 designated as accessible. For those coming to school using active travel, there will be space for 40 bicycles to be stored.

In addition to Bowmer + Kirkland and Bond Bryan, the project team for the school includes Hexa, Anderson Green, One Environments, Arup, Ramboll, Innovare, OFR, and 2P.

To learn more about the application, search reference FUL/2026/0037 on the Allerdale section of Cumberland Council’s planning portal.