Most teachers recognise the significance of the working environment in expressing the aims and values of a school. The condition and quality of physical school facilities say more than words ever could.
So why is it that schools tend to overlook potential links between curriculum requirements and their biggest learning resource the school building?
At Parkside School in Borehamwood, the entire entrance area has been re-designed by architects Cullum and Nightingale in discussion with staff, children and governors. The project provided children with first-hand experience of the way in which design, materials and technology combine with function. The aim was to ensure that a clearly-identified entrance point offers a welcome to visitors and security for children and staff. But the built-in learning opportunities are what stand out.
The reception desk (of renewable beech) is skewed to address the entrance and offers a window for adults and a lower one for children. The whole reception area and waiting room exploit structural elements girders, glazed roofing and natural cement render as visible features of the building.
Above the reception desk, a pulley system incorporates traditional sash windows with sculpture and technology. Large plywood animals are loaded with scrap metal to act as counterweights in a commanding use of technology in the school environment.
The fact that children increasingly use the building as a primary resource for learning owes everything to the close working relationship with the architects. Functional problems, such as the lack of a base for teaching resources have been resolved by reconfiguring space.
From minor refurbishments and modifications as slight as the removal of partition walls, through to major building developments, the children have access to building plans and have some say in design options. They understand their immediate environment as well as the adults do.
The costbenefit equation in assessing building development now takes into account the comparative costs of curriculum resourcing through more traditional and often less accessible media, such as text and audio-visual aids. Take the dining room floor, which required resurfacing. Adding about 5 per cent to the budget produced a flooring design which has turned into an important centre of learning activity. A contractor installed a scale image of the British Isles around 60 square metres, using two standard colours from the Polyflor range of vinyl. Children now use the dining room for a range of activities from mapping Viking landing points to programming a Parkside Roamer in pursuit of the Parkhurst fugitives.
Developing a sense of distance and direction, and understanding the sheer expanse of land-mass and water is easy. The relationships between places can be walked out and talked about on a grand scale instead of glazing over the abstract page in an atlas.
From entrance door to dining floor, the school is enjoying new opportunities for developing the fabric of the building as a learning medium and getting some fun out of the functional into the bargain.
Cullum and Nightingale: 071-383 4466 Truman and Hall: 081-553 5671
