Faced with an ongoing battle to maintain its buildings to the right standard for effective teaching and learning, English Martyrs' R.C Primary School in Newcastle found itself in a position that many head teachers and local authorities find themselves in. Designed in the 1950s, the school was built with large expanses of steel framed curtain walling to provide plenty of natural daylight into classrooms and communal areas. Unfortunately, this curtain walling had not performed well in the long term and its condition at various locations around the school was already having a major impact on the quality of the learning environment. At English Martyrs', the performance of the windows had become so bad that windows had become ill fitting and the majority couldn't be opened, leaving many classrooms uncomfortably hot in summer and too cold in winter Back to basics Given the failure of the steel framed curtain walling system, a different approach was required. A PVC based system was the only one which could offer performance characteristics capable of transforming the school instantly and cost effectively. Working in conjunction with established North East building contractors McGann Builders, H Jarvis designed and fabricated Sheerframe 6000 system windows to integrate with the structural curtain walling grid. In total, 280 windows were installed, each offering maximum thermal performance as well as easy, safe and reliable operation by incorporating the latest hardware. To maximise comfort, the Sheerframe profile ensures minimal loss through the frame thanks to its four chamber profile and high specification glazing both prevents heat loss and solar gain. Full marks all round The curtain walling replacement project had the full support of the pupils and parents alike, who contributed to the £147,000 cost of replacing the windows by sponsoring a window for £10 each. The timing of the project also couldn't have been better, coinciding with the school's celebration of its 50th anniversary. Headmistress Denise Kendall commented, “The windows have made a huge difference. Not only does the school look better and everyone is more comfortable, but I'm also sure we are going to save on our heating bills. We are all hoping for a long hot summer so we can put our new windows to the test!”