Creating Excellent Primary Schools - Design Council

1 CreatingexcellentprimaryschoolsA guide for clientsPublished in 2010 by the Commission forArchitecture and the Built Design : DuffyAll rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, copiedor transmitted without the prior written consent ofthe publisher except that the material may bephotocopied for non-commercial purposes withoutpermission from the publisher. This document isavailable in alternative formats on request from the 978-1-84633-025-4 CABE is the government s advisor on architecture,urban Design and public space.

2 As a public body, weencourage policymakers to create places that workfor people. We help local planners apply nationaldesign policy and advise developers and architects,persuading them to put people s needs first. Weshow public sector clients how to commissionbuildings that meet the needs of their users. And weseek to inspire the public to demand more from theirbuildings and spaces. Advising, influencing andinspiring, we work to create well-designed,welcoming places. CABE 1 Kemble Street London WC2B 4AN T 020 7070 6700 F 020 7070 6777 Cover image: St Luke s Primary School, Wolverhamp-ton, by Architype Leigh SimpsonPrinted by Seacourt Ltd on Revive recycled paper,using the waterless offset printing process (0 percent water and 0 per cent isopropyl alcohol or harm-ful substitutes), 100 per cent renewable energy andvegetable oil-based inks.

3 Seacourt Ltd holds EMASand ISO 14001 environmental publication is available inalternative formats on request from the Paul Finch 5 Introduction6 The importance of good design8 About this guide9 Can Design quality be measured?10 How to recognise a well-designed Primary school11 How to achieve good Design 12 Case studyUsing good Design as a catalyst for change Birley Spa Primary School, Sheffield14 Case studyBlended learning styles in an open plan learning environmentCanning Street Primary School,Newcastle upon Tyne 161 New patterns of learning and the implications for Design learning educational transformation learning in Primary Schools extended school agenda and its designimplications parental involvement in children s education in Primary Schools 27 Case studyCreating an inviting and welcoming schoolSharrow Primary School, Sheffield 28 Case studyRemodelling a Primary school to improve accessi bilityBurnham Copse Primary School.

4 Hampshire Schools 33 Case studyA sustainable schoolSt Luke s Primary School, Wolverhampton spaces in education eating 37 Case studyHealthy eatingRedbrook Hayes Primary School, Rugeley, Staffordshire 382 Background to school projects involved in Primary school buildingprojects 43 Case studyPublic art programmeBarton Hill Primary School and Children s Campus, Bristol an Excellent client role of the local authority the project into wider regeneration plans 51 Case studyNew school as catalyst for regenerationNorth Solihull Partnership regeneration project role of the school stakeholders in projects 55 Case studyDesign festival and impact on school designNorth Road Primary School, Darlington 563 Creating a brief importance of a vision for a school building project the vision and translating it into a brief 62 Case studyDeveloping an Excellent briefSouthwark Primary School.

5 Nottingham from other Schools to recognise a well-designed school 10 examples 704 From vision to reality: seeing the project through for Primary school projects 77 Case studyProcuring projects through a framework agreementAlfred Sutton Primary School, Reading between small and large projects of procurement and when to use them a Design team Design process 86 Case studyUsing a Design competitionSouthwark Primary Schools , London 90235 Getting the Design right what you have 93 Case studyA masterplan for phasedimprovements to a schoolFirs Hill Primary School.

6 The learning environment and adaptability in Primary Schools 99 Case study Achieving an Excellent environment for teaching and learningNorthbury Primary School, Barking, London the building services sufficiently in external areas : avoiding the fortress syndrome 105 Case studyInnovative school grounds Merrylee Primary School, Glasgow halls, dining and other specialist areas , toilets and for and fittings as part of high-quality providing extraaccommodation for expanding pupil numbers 1126 Design development, construction and evaluation116 the building works costing.

7 Creating buildings that are easy and economical to maintain and success after completion1197 of terms examples127 Acknowledgements1314 Jubilee Primary School, Lambeth, by Alford Hall Monaghan Morris Tim Soar5 ForewordGood school Design matters. It is about theeducation and life chances of young shows a clear link between well-designedschools and pupil performance and behaviour. Good Design alone doesn t raise standards, but bad Design impacts on the quality of teaching, the aspirations and self-perception of pupils, and the sustainability of a school Design is the result of hard workand collaboration between designers, contractorsand visionary, committed clients.

8 You also need toinvolve the people who will use the buildings. Thismeans talking to both teachers and pupils aboutwhat they want, and giving pupils the chance toexpress themselves creatively and understand how buildings guide has been produced especially for Primary Schools receiving new capital investment. It shows what can be achieved when clients knowhow to get the best from the process of building orrefurbishment. Taking you step by step through theprocess, it provides practical tools and a dozencase studies that we hope will inspire the challenges presented by a toughfinancial climate, we must not lose focus on thequality of the places where young people learn.

9 To do so would mean failing generations of pupils,their families and the communities of which areschools are such an important part. Paul FinchChair, CABELong view:successful school Design needscollaboration between designers, contractorsand visionary, committed clientsIntroduction 6 Dalry Primary School, by North Ayrshire Council Dirk Buwalda7 Many Primary Schools will soon be involved in a building project, thanks to the Primary capitalprogramme (PCP). The programme is makingadditional funding available to enable localauthorities to rebuild or take out of use the worst 5 per cent of Primary school buildings and tosignificantly improve at least half of all primaryschools.

10 Local authorities are being advised to take a strategic approach to rebuilding, refurbishingor remodelling their Primary Schools to bring themup to 21st-century standards. Good good Design is fundamental to the delivery of this programme. An informed school client is vital for the success of a school building project. This guide has been written for school communitiesto explain the processes involved in a Primary schoolbuilding project and advise how to get the best fromit, particularly in terms of Design . We have tried tomake it concise, straightforward and jargon free.