Are you sure you know exactly what you want for your new school building?

“I know exactly what I want in my new school" declared a Headteacher at our first meeting.  Less than an hour later they were saying to me “I need to think about that”, “What do we have currently in school?”, “What is the best practice?” and “I thought we would leave it to the architect?”  

School leaders, when they get the chance of a new building or to remodel an existing one, have clear ideas what they may like from their new environment. Some are innovative whilst some want a modern version of what they have (it isn’t broken so why change it). Others, maybe the majority, are not really sure how to proceed on the basis the building will be there far longer than they will and pedagogy will change in coming decades. However, each will become increasingly aware that the final decision rests with them - no one wants to make a multi-million pound mistake. 

Getting a new school building is a great opportunity for students, staff and the wider school community.  It provides a once in a generation chance to create inspiring spaces to meet the needs and aspirations of the school, encourage new ways of working and allow them to do things that may not be currently possible.

Many Headteachers get nervous – who can blame them? All have a clear education vision, however, few have any experience of writing a design brief. A key lesson learnt by many is to source additional expertise early when it is needed. 
 

It is vital that the school prepares a detailed Education Design Brief (EDB). This vital briefing document will specify, clearly and with identified priorities, what the school needs from its building to be able to deliver the highest quality learning and teaching. It is a reference document for the design team and contractor so they fully understand the school, its context and aspirations before they start work. We know several project teams use our EDBs to interview for architects and builders to see how they respond to it. 

Developing the EDB is an opportunity to ask the hard questions and really understand what it is you want from the project. If it is a new extension project, how does this link with the existing buildings and subject spaces? Do the adjacencies work? Is additional remodelling of the existing building required to maintain subject and organisational efficiency? How is it future proofed for new styles of learning, management and organisations? The ‘lightbulb’ moment is often when Headteachers realise that they do not have to design the new building themselves, they need to set out in the comprehensive brief for others to respond to.

It is important that the EDB identifies the school’s ethos and vision, the pedagogy, the organisation and what adjacencies – the relationships between the spaces - are critical. What are the strategies for curriculum specialisms? Also, how do the school want students, staff, parents and visitors to experience the building?

More than one Headteacher has said they thought they would simply leave it to the architect. This can work well, but increasingly, we are asked to work with some of the best education architects here and abroad. They ask us to support them during the design process because, whilst they can design beautiful buildings, many recognise that they do not always understand the educational nuances of particular schools. Ensuring they understand every aspect of the school can take hours of unnecessary meetings. 
 

Teaching Spaces: do classrooms and breakout spaces need to link together?

No clear brief may result in the danger of schools being asked to make instant decisions in design meetings with little time to reflect on the consequences. 

It is sad that we still see unfortunate design errors in schools where the many lessons learnt are ignored. For example, who can think it a good idea to put 1000 student lockers in one room and expect it to work smoothly?  

As a contrast, we worked with a very informed Headteacher who spent two years researching and trialling every aspect of what she wanted in the new learning spaces. She experimented with colour and carpet tiles, she tested acoustic panels and light fittings (including comparing lux levels), she tried different types of window blinds through to different display boards. Shallower tables were identified enabling increased circulation in rooms, students tested ergonomic student chairs, and fitted ‘teaching walls’ were designed with staff. 

Critical to a successful Education Design Brief is the detail: group sizes, timetable delivery, storage, staff distribution, security, movement around the school, dining and external learning spaces. What are the ‘must haves’ in teaching spaces?  What activities have to be able to happen, what infrastructure is necessary, what is the technology strategy?  What are your views on ICT / storage / coats and bags / visibility into teaching spaces / innovation / power and data points / water / flooring / colour / display / access to outside / teacher desks / teaching walls / links with other rooms or subjects / breakout spaces / student bathrooms / bell and tannoys / and…. so much more.  

ICT is a central component that needs to be considered from initial conversations.  It still surprises me how many projects see ICT as an ‘add-on’ to be considered at a later stage of design.

What about technicalities? Whilst countries like the UK have clear building guidance on air quality, ventilation, fire strategy, acoustics, temperature control, daylighting, WC ratios and so on, this is not always the case elsewhere.  This is a job for professionals, but Heads do need to have a grasp of how it affects students and staff.  If there are heating and ventilation controls to operate, it may be the teacher that has to do it in classrooms.  
 

Identifying locker storage early in the design process

The context of the school alsoneeds to be considered including the extremes of the climate. A beautiful atrium for a library sounds great, with daylight and a feeling of space. However, when it is in a Middle East school, and book covers start melting due to the heat coming through the glass, it is clear that the context was ignored. 

Recently we reviewed a new building about to open, where teaching spaces had just one power point for the whole room, directly adjacent to an external door, therefore of limited practical use. Don’t blame the builders, it is what was shown on ‘signed-off’ plans. Equally, we’ve seen bathrooms built with no sinks. Obvious, but again they were not on the plans. In both cases the schools would have benefitted from an independent education expert just reviewing plans before construction started, to avoid delays and retrofit costs. 
 

School leaders are usually good about requesting a budget breakdown so they can identify gaps and be confident about value for money, but it is surprising how many do not challenge design teams as “they are the experts".  Every successful project is a team effort, drawing on the educational expertise of the school leaders and the design creativity of the architects. Schools should avoid any architect that arrives saying ‘This is THE only solution!’. The design process should be iterative, an opportunity to test ideas and a range of possible solutions. 

Many schools ask us to sit alongside them during design sessions, to provide an independent eye, helping interpret plans to the school, and translate school issues and terminology to contractors. Crucially, we explain the potential impact of even apparently modest design changes.

Students are adaptable, innovative and want to do well. Teachers want to have the flexibility to manage their learning environment for a range of pedagogies now and into the future. Careful design and planning enables that to happen. 

There is no doubt that the old saying is true – the better the client, the better the building. The more thought, consideration and detail that is explored before the design process starts, the better the outcome for the school for now and the future.
 

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Gareth Long is a former headteacher of schools in the UK and abroad. He started 'the-learning-crowd’, an education consultancy, nearly ten years ago. He is the only person in the UK to be awarded Accredited Learning Environments Planner status by the American ‘Association for Learning Environments’ (A4LE). and is one of just six Education Planners worldwide recommended by the Qatar Foundation for new school building projects. 

‘the-learning-crowd’ comprises of a team of consultants with a range of strengths, but specialise in supporting the design of new schools and learning environments (including ICT), throughout the UK and around the world. The team work extensively with schools, architects, contractors, local authorities and international school groups. 

As a COBIS Supporting Member for several years, the-learning-crowd have undertaken several COBIS consultancy projects with member schools (and others) around the world.

Web: www.the-learning-crowd.com  Email: Gareth@the-learning-crowd.com