Designing buildings for successful learning

Following the government’s flagship £4.4 billion Priority School Building Programme, Education Business takes a look at its recent successes and examines what makes a successful rebuild.

Initially launched in 2011 with a focus on rebuilding and refurbishing the schools in most urgent need of repair, the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is managed centrally by the Department for Education’s (DfE) Education Funding Agency (EFA), rather than by local project teams. In the first wave of the programme, 260 schools received capital funding of £2.4bn.

A list of the 277 schools to benefit from the second phase of the PSBP was published on 9 February 2015. Therefore, a total of 537 schools will benefit from construction through the two phases of the PSBP.

Pupils across the country have enjoyed a fresh start for 2016 as they returned to state-of-the-art new school buildings funded through the government’s flagship rebuilding programme at the start of January. Thirteen of the most run-down schools across the length and breadth of the UK are using the new settings to help young people unlock their potential and deliver on the government’s commitment to educational excellence everywhere.

The latest schools will open following over £100 million of construction, with features including bright new classrooms, inspiring libraries and specialist arts facilities.

Building a vision
Camberwell Park School, a special support school in Manchester, is one of those to reopen through the programme following £7 million of construction. The school, which previously suffered regular leaks and was persistently in need of repair, now has bigger, brighter classrooms, a modern music and drama room and a library which looks onto the school’s rainforest garden.

Mary Isherwood, Camberwell Park School head teacher, said: “As head teacher of Camberwell Park School I am proud and delighted that we have been part of the Priority School Building Programme. Since we heard news of our new building, we have been fully involved in the planning and preparation of the building to ensure that it meets the holistic needs of our pupils who all have special educational needs.

“Throughout the process staff, pupils, parents and carers, governors and members of the multi-agency team have shared their hopes, wishes, dreams for the new building, helping us to shape the vision. The new building is fabulous.”

The Grove School, a primary in Devon, received its new building following £4 million of work, giving it not only outstanding new facilities but also the capability to increase its capacity from 210 to 315 pupils.

Hilary Priest, head teacher of The Grove School, said: “Everything is different about our new school building. Previously, we had a building which was falling apart, with leaking roofs and buckets everywhere to collect the water.

“Now we have a beautiful new facility designed for education today, with lovely large classrooms and state-of-the-art technology. Best of all, although the new building is completely different, it still feels like our old school. The staff and pupils love the new building – we have had so many ‘wows’ and many amazingly positive comments from parents.”

From England to Africa
Chantry Academy in Suffolk is one of seven schools across the East of England to be rebuilt as a result of the PSBP. As a result of a £14.3 million investment, the academy’s existing buildings have been replaced with a new three-storey building which provides light, bright classrooms, a superb hall, a drama space and excellent sports facilities.

Ahead of its move into the new building, the school, previously known as Suffolk New College, and Chantry High School before that, donated its old furniture, including desks, chairs, filing cabinets and bookshelves, to Sanchaba School in Gambia. The official grand opening was held with school governors past and present, staff, Ipswich Borough Council leader David Ellesmere, Baroness Rosalind Scott of Needham Market and MP Ben Gummer, all celebrating the occasion.

Mr Gummer said: “It’s incredibly exciting, and the end of a long journey. I have been fighting for this day for five years, so it’s just wonderful to see this beautiful building which is going to be a centre for excellence in the middle of Chantry. It’s a great day for Ipswich.”

Craig D’Cunha, principal of the Chantry Academy, said: “I am extremely excited, alongside staff and students at Chantry Academy, to celebrate our official opening. Over the course of the last nine months we have seen some exceptional progress take place at the academy.

“Student attainment has improved, and there is a new sense of purpose at the school. Our official opening is a great way to celebrate this progress as well as looking forward to the future and our continued improvement.

“The new building represents the importance the community places on the futures of the children of Chantry, not only for those who attend the school now, but for the thousands who will pass through its doors in the future.
It’s an outstanding building which has already inspired our students to exceed their own aspirations. It will help us ensure the children of Chantry stand out amongst their peers.

Ipswich Borough Council leader David Ellesmere, who was previously a governor at the school, added: “Surroundings do make a difference, and a brilliant new building shows that for kids in Chantry education is important for their future.”

However, it is not just the council leaders and teachers who recognise the benefit of change. Pupils at the school have already noted the impact the new build has had on the attitude and learning experience in the classroom, and signals an important step in the school’s development.

Deputy head girl Ligita Lazdauskaite, said: “The new building has introduced pride in how the pupils look at things, and the teachers are looking at it in a more positive way.” Deputy head boy Joshua Clarke, added: “We will be here for six months but I am taking full advantage, so the year sevens coming in should absolutely do the same because it’s really making a positive impact overall.”

Derby school’s doors reopen
Pupils and staff at a Derby infant and nursery school have celebrated the official opening of their new building created through the programme. Carlyle Infant and Nursery School is one of seven schools in Derby to be rebuilt through the programme.

As a result of £2.8 million of construction work, the school’s old buildings have been replaced with a single-storey insulated timber structure, which features modern heating, lighting and ventilation systems to ensure excellent energy efficiency. To mark the re-opening, a plaque was unveiled and a time capsule buried at the school.

Laura Besenzi, head teacher of Carlyle Infant and Nursery School, said: “As a school, we feel particularly fortunate to access this funding to enable the children and families in Littleover to access a great new building. At Carlyle Infant and Nursery School we are now more able to support our lifelong learners through enabling our community to develop its own learning and engagement together.

“We have already spent some time benefiting from this new base and growing in our learning across the community. The school looks forward to sharing the building with the local community through other providers who can gain reward from the government’s scheme of new builds.”

The sun not always shining
Last Autumn, thanks to the programme, £15.3 million was spent completely renovating the Ian Ramsey CoE Academy school site in Stockton-on-Tees, ensuring generations of pupils will have access to the best possible facilities for learning. The 1,200-place academy was also the first secondary school opened under the programme.

Executive head teacher Gill Booth said: “This new building offers our young people a chance to flourish and learn within the best facilities that the 21st century can offer.”

However, according to the local newspaper, The Gazette, Ian Ramsey CoE Academy school is still suffering from problems since its refurbishment, including ‘lack of space’ in science labs and ‘inadequate’ locker numbers. A report seen by The Gazette from Stockton Council’s Education Admissions Appeal Panel, outlines concerns over ‘lack of space’ within the school - including dining facilities that can only accommodate 250 pupils when there are more than 1,000 per day requiring them.

There have also been warnings that additional pupils could take a further toll on resources. The new Fairfield Road school base has come under criticism from parents who launched an appeal through Stockton Council after their children were denied places.

Peter Snowden, the school’s deputy head teacher, who had previously given evidence to the appeals panel, explained why the admission of additional children could ‘prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources at the school’.

Scottish ambition
To the delight of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the Scottish government has confirmed that £230m will be used to build or refurbish 19 schools, representing the final phase of a £1.8bn Schools for the Future programme.

Scottish ministers said more than 6,500 pupils will benefit from the plans, which should be completed by March 2020. The project similarly resonates with the English Building Schools for the Future, which was axed by then Education Secretary Michael Gove and replaced with the PSBP.

The schools include: Queen Margaret Academy in South Ayrshire, Inverurie Academy in Aberdeenshire; Hayshead Primary, Muirfield Primary and Ladyloan

Primary in Angus; Abercromby Primary in Clackmannanshire; St Agatha’s Primary in East Dunbartonshire; East Lothian’s Wallyford Primary; Queensferry Community High in Edinburgh; Mariner Support Service in Polmont; Glasgow’s Blairdardie Primary and Carntyne Primary; Alness Academy in the Highlands; Kilmacolm Primary, Inverclyde; Lossiemouth High in Moray; Cumbernauld Academy and Burnside Primary in Lanarkshire; Renfrewshire’s St Fergus Primary; and St Margaret’s Primary in Stirling.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We are working hard to improve educational standards across the country to make sure that every child in Scotland has the ability to achieve their potential. Part of that is making sure that children have the right physical environment to learn in.

This ambitious plan will replace older schools across the country with new, modern buildings that will bring benefits to the whole community.”

Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, said: “The investment of an additional £100m to support school refurbishment and the delivery of new school buildings is a very welcome step.

“Following many years of under‑investment in Scotland’s school estate, we have seen a substantial and successful programme of school building and refurbishment in recent years.”

Discussing the funding, John Wood, head teacher at Queensferry Community High, said: “The school’s staff, pupils, parents and partners are excited by the new build and the contribution we can make to its design.It will give us opportunities to make sure that the facilities are appropriate for the most up-to-date thinking around learning and the courses that we can offer our young people.

“Of course we will also need to challenge ourselves to look ahead to the future generations of young people who will follow and how they too may benefit from this exciting new phase of Queensferry Community High School.”

Another of the schools to receive funding, Alness Academy was labelled as the ‘worst school in the Highlands’, dubbed as in a ‘disgraceful condition’.

Highland Council’s education chairman Drew Millar said: “Alness Academy has been a major priority for Highland Council. I have been concerned at the condition of the building, and with this announcement we can proceed as quickly as possible to give the community a school they will be proud to attend and deserve.

It is good news for Highland Council, and it is great news for children and families in Alness.”

Further Information
www.gov.uk