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Blog
Why light could be a teacher’s best friend
It’s fair to say that in terms of architecture, school buildings are built with practicality and function in mind over designer flair. For many years, schools had certain concerns regarding their buildings; everything from safety and security through to energy performance has meant that children can spend a lot of time in classrooms that don’t make the most of the natural features, such as ambient light.
The benefits of choosing Education Spaces buildings
When it comes to school facilities, there’s always a desire for more room and to expand the offering that schools give to children. Growing pupil numbers and more young people staying on in education is putting facilities under pressure, meaning increased class sizes and less space in schools. While most schools recognise the need to expand their school buildings or provide new ones, it can seem like a lot of stress, disruption and cost for schools. Is there another way?
The challenge of nurseries and pre-schools
The general public – and even most parents – probably don’t think of a school room as anything more than rows of desks and a whiteboard at the front. Teachers, however, know that there are lots of considerations, safety concerns and regulations that govern the work in the schoolroom, and one of the most challenging is the nursery or pre-school!
Libraries that inspire!
If you mention ‘the school library’ to anyone no longer in school, the chances are they’ll bring up images of a cavernous space with floor to ceiling shelves and a slight smell of damp that was always either too dim to read or so bright that sunglasses were needed! At any rate, the school library was usually a necessity, rather than somewhere pupils wanted to be.
The school as a community hub
It used to be that once the end of school bell rang, the children would flood out of the door, teachers would go home shortly after and once the caretaking staff had finished the sweeping and mopping, the school would be locked up until the next morning. Schools these days, however, have become community hubs, sharing their facilities with local residents to provide not only a service, but a valuable source of additional income.
Could facilities for adult learners be a new opportunity for schools?
While many people may have left formal education at 16, 18 or 22 and said in no uncertain terms they never wanted “to see another exam paper in my lifeâ€, this doesn’t mean that the desire to learn has gone away. Looking at the most popular content online, a huge amount of it seems to be educational in some way. Whether it’s the wildly popular TED Talks podcasts, instructional videos on everything from basic car mechanics to flawless make up techniques or even online German and French lessons, it shows a great desire that people want to learn.
More pupils mean greater demand for facilities
Schools have, for many years, been conducting a delicate balancing act to provide a well-rounded education. While budgets are stretched and the pressure on results grows, schools have tried to ensure pupils’ favourite subjects are left behind – giving children the opportunity to move from PE to a maths lesson with drama, physics and French after lunch.
Give Pupils the Space to Act!
While there may be a focus on providing more and more facilities to students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maintenance (STEM), there are some areas that may not receive quite the same input, but provide pupils with incredibly valuable tools and resources. While subjects such as modern languages and humanities give young people a well-rounded challenge and a complete education, they’re often thought of as being subjects that can be taught without the requirement for large amounts of space or facilities.
Helping students combat stress, bullying and peer pressure
In this modern age, the pressure on young people is much greater than it was a few decades ago. Whilst the internet and social media has broadened the possibilities and the horizons of young people with a wealth of information, it’s also had the effect of making the world much smaller and more difficult to switch off or escape the effects of peer pressure and bullying.
The Staff Room Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
The internet has been a gift to the world, allowing us to collaborate and communicate instantly, without concern over geographical or time distances. As much of a technological revolution it has been, it’s frequently said that a ‘rapid digital update’ is no substitute for physical communication and getting quality time working together.
The challenge of providing modern science education
It’s safe to say that the amount of information that our children have access to is absolutely astounding when compared to what our grandparents would have had. From December 1995 to December 2016, just 21 years, the number of internet users went from 16 million to 3.5 billion. Young people today have the ability to take the information available and their ability to learn is almost unlimited and far beyond the expectations that previous generations could ever have even dreamed.
Multi-functionality is not a new thing!
It seems that the language used around schools today is a little more technical than in years previous; we now make common reference to ‘facilities’ and ‘resources’, rather than schoolrooms and equipment. Similarly, we now have ‘dual-purpose’ and ‘multifunctional solutions’ rather than the idea that it can simply be used for more than one thing.
Why Expertise in School Buildings Matters
When it comes to building, knowing what type of construction needs to be done is a lot more important than you think! Building a small family home is very different to constructing a moderate commercial space, which in turn is different to a large shopping complex! For schools, the need to create some extra space is often put off and put off until it becomes an unavoidable necessity, just because it can feel incredibly complicated.
Extending the Classroom for the Benefit of Everyone
Every school would love to be able to offer more to their pupils – more space, more facilities, more equipment, more teaching staff and more resources. With school budgets under careful control and scrutiny, many schools find that they feel pushed, both in terms of pupil numbers and the space they have available.
The First Solution for First Aid
For readers of a certain age, the words ‘School Nurse’ still brings a slight sense of dread; creating memories of a cold room with nothing but a fold out table, some gauze and large pots of antiseptic. Today, however, schools take their health and safety responsibilities much more seriously; everything from visiting medical staff to providing emergency care should be to the best standard possible.
Multi-functional spaces that support all students
Every single school in Britain has a wide range of students; some are athletically gifted, some are in love with science, others are mathematical wizards and some love to bury themselves in literature. Schools all have the same desire to provide facilities to support whatever activity it is that inspires their pupils and students.
Science Labs and the Need to Offer More to Young People
It seems that recently the pressure on schools has become greater than levels ever seen before; the demands of Government to not only improve standards in science, English and mathematics whilst at the same time reducing budgets has left many feeling pushed in their offerings to pupils and students.
New School Buildings that Sound Amazing!
Schools these days are a vastly different affair compared to what they were just a single generation ago. Schools in previous years tended to be single-purpose affairs; single, stock rooms that were adapted to the particular lesson they needed to teach. For most lessons, this involved decorating the room in a particular style, so Geography teachers would place large maps and diagrams of the water cycle on the walls, whereas English teachers would have pictures of Shakespeare and Dickens, along with supporting passages.
Future-proofing your school with Education Spaces
To say that education is not a fast-evolving profession would be very short-sighted; the changes in teaching methods, different curricula and the ever-changing requirements of students make it a constantly updating process. One area that some schools don’t update as often is their actual building requirements.
The New School Year and New Requirements!
It’s the day that divides opinion in schools more than any other; the first day back! This September, over 8million pupils returned to school, some were dreading it, whereas others cannot wait to get going! After the long summer holidays, we’re also fairly sure that many of the teachers feel exactly the same, as before the start of each year, long hours go into planning lessons, teaching aims and the facilities available.
