Loving change

Always striving for excellence means that change is a constant in the education sector. Embrace it, enjoy it and be energised by it says education specialist Mairi Johnson who also sets out here some of her thoughts on future trends.

For some people working in the education sector, the constant presence of change is irritating at best. However, in this dynamic environment, surely change should be embraced. It represents opportunities, and the possibility of making positive change, by improving ways of learning, creating stimulating new spaces and by inspiring the next generation to relish gaining skills and knowledge. It’s easy to say. And the journey of change can lead to any number of destinations. But the best possible way of dealing with change is to welcome it, use its energy, and try to guide and manage it.

As with all successful enterprises, a management plan begins with a vision, a set of aims and objectives, and the ability to adapt when surprises happen along the way.

Our teams are working in every type of education environment in the UK and dozens of other countries around the world. Their experience is deep and broad, but their approach is shared — and involves assessing and anticipating, and then responding with tailored solutions.

Drawing on our recent experience, we have identified a number of trends. Taken together, these look set to introduce fundamental shifts in the way we design and use schools, and they provide points to consider for anyone thinking of embarking on a programme of change.

Space

Whether working with existing structures or planning to build afresh, a vision encapsulated in a masterplan can provide the framework for guiding change.

It’s unusual to have sufficient funding to completely revolutionise the entire teaching and learning environment in one sweep. An overall masterplan will set out the big scale ambition so that smaller projects can be seen as a piece of a larger whole.

The masterplan should also include educational aspects. The more traditional of these could be offering a new subject, providing opportunities for project-based learning or team teaching.

It’s important to articulate the less tangible outcomes that are desired, even if they don’t seem to be directly quantifiable. These could be a desire for more calm in the circulation areas so that the school day is less stressful, an increase in staff satisfaction or a drop in reported incidents of antisocial behaviour.

Even once the initial masterplan is realised, the evolution will still continue. For inbuilt flexibility, make spaces slightly more generous than their basic use requires. That doesn’t mean that every classroom has to be huge, it just needs to be big enough for tables and chairs to be arranged in several ways and perhaps leave some open space for demonstrations.

Senses

Some of the most important aspects of a good learning environment aren’t immediately obvious. A room’s temperature, ventilation and acoustic qualities have a significant impact on people’s comfort and ability to concentrate, communicate and to learn.

Types of heating, lighting and ventilation will also make a significant contribution to the cost of running a school long term, so it’s important that they work harmoniously and efficiently. The electricity used for lighting is often the largest item on the school’s energy bill.

The strategy for thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics will have a big impact on other parts of the design such as the floor or ceiling heights, the size and type of windows, and the layout of the interior.

The mechanical and electrical systems also need to be able to cope with change. For instance, if a space that was a staff room is to be used for teaching, then the acoustics will probably need to be softened with the addition of more absorbent surfaces such as curtains and carpets, or the addition of acoustic panels to the walls. These can make a huge difference to the usability of a space.

If the long-term masterplan for a school shows teaching spaces arranged in different configurations or extended as the years go by, then heating and ventilation design will need to be able to adapt to these changes; straightforward if they are known from the start, but difficult if they are unplanned.

Sustainability

This is the Holy Grail and is linked to the points above. To make the best use of any investment, the long-term impacts need to be considered for environmental, social and economic sustainability.

In terms of environment, this means flexibility to adapt and change to accommodate new ideas. In social sustainability this means creating a welcoming, safe and inspiring environment for all — teaching staff, pupils, governors and the local community. And for economic sustainability it means getting the best value from investment in terms of high quality, flexibility, durability and low maintenance and operating costs.

Some of the most important aspects of a good learning environment aren’t immediately obvious.