RESEARCH & FINDINGS
1. Background Information
2. Impact Of Design
3. Consultation Process
4. Briefing Process
Background information on the existing design guidance for special needs schools/permanent provisions, including any changes and any information on designing for individual disabilities
Impact the design of special needs schools/permanent provisions have on the children, teachers and non-teaching staff and how the layout and design of these provisions influence a child's development and learning
Consultation processes for parents, carers and teachers and restrictions that exist when designing special needs schools/permanent provisions
Advice on the briefing process
Individual Disabilities
It is important to have knowledge and understanding of all children's experiences when designing learning spaces, as some children require a more unique and tailored setting (Scott, 2009, p. 36). These learning spaces should stimulate all pupils, however some pupils with SEN may also have sensory sensitivities for example children with ASD have extreme sensitivity to sensory stimulation and therefore need reduced environmental stimuli through the amount/type of visual and tactile stimulation (Department for Education and Skills, 2012, p. 10).
Currently the body of knowledge relating to designing for autism is not available to designers. Educational professionals and architects could benefit if this design guidance was available in a concise and accessible form (Scott, 2009, p. 50). Christopher Beaver’s 2003 article ‘Breaking The Mould’ was ground-breaking material and has been used by many people who write about autism and how the environment influences their behaviour. Prior to this article there had been little recognition. It was suggested that “an environment designed specifically to create a calm, non-stimulating, spacious and safe environment for ASD could be so influential in terms of that sense of well-being that is essential to us all (Assirelli, 2011).
All children are individual and are not affected in the same way or to the same extent by their environment (Scott, 2009, p. 36). Each and every child is unique due to a wide spectrum of special educational needs, however these requirements could fall in to 1 of 4 areas outlined below.
Cognitive and learning
- Modern, severe or profound learning difficulties
- Special learning difficulties such as dyslexia
- Associated sensory, physical and behaviour difficulties
Behavioural, emotional and social
- Withdrawn
- Isolated
- Disruptive and disturbing
- Hyperactive
- Lack concentration
- Immature social skills
- Challenging behaviour
Communication and interaction
- Strengths and difficulties in one, some or all of the areas of speech,
language and communication
Sensory and/or physical
- Range from profound and permanent deafness or visual impairment
through to lesser levels of loss, which may only be temporary and will
need specialist support
(Education Funding Agency, 2014, p. 13)
Inclusive design principles
Access
Space
Sensory awareness
Enhancing learning
Flexibility
Adaptability
Health and well-being
Safety and security
Sustainability
“A well designed environment enhances a child’s educational experience. Good design can ensure that teachers and children communicate clearly, that furniture, fittings and equipment supports the particular teaching and learning styles” (Learning Spaces, 2014).
Fixed partitions and immobile furniture are not recommended throughout the school design because they do not offer the teachers flexibility to adapt the classroom layout on a daily basis depending on the diverse needs of their pupils, allowing for different teaching approaches and strategies.
(Department for Education and Skills, 2012, p. 12)
There is clear evidence that extremes of environmental elements, such as poor ventilation or excessive noice have negative effects on teachers and children. (Higgins et al, 2005, p. 6)
There appears to be a strong link between effective engagement with staff, students and other users of the schools buildings and the success of environmental change in having an impact on behaviour, well-being or attainment. (Higgins et al, 2005, p. 6)
Range from multi-sensory stimulation (through sight, smell and touch), through to the use of interactive communication and language techniques, light and sound, music and movement, or tactile and practical tasks. (Department for Education and Skills, 2005, p. 9)
Physical characteristics affect student perceptions and behaviour, but it is very difficult to draw definitive conclusions particularly on the effects of lighting and colour because these create confliction but forceful opinions:
"Interactions of different elements are as important as the consideration of single elements". (Higgins et al, 2005, p. 7)
Classroom environment
Social
Physical
Academic
- Most important aspect
- Provide equality between all students
- Positive school culture
- May need no modification or quite a lot
- Dependent on individual users
- Child with visual impairment may need
special lighting and be seated in a
specific position in the classroom
- Pupils experience success
- Pupils learn skills
- Applied to current and future
environments
(Foreman and Arthur-Kelly, 2014, p. 35)
User's point of view
Effective learning environments
Low-sensory-stimulus environments
Sensory stimulus and sensory rooms
- Light
- Airy
- Warm
- Pleasant colours
- Comfortable furniture
- Enough space to move around
- Have everything within easy reach
Good quality natural and artifical light -
Good sound insulation and acoustics -
Adequate ventilation and heating -
- Non-distracting environment
- Calming environment
- Focus individuals
Multi-sensory stimulation -
Light and sound with interactive training techniques - to improve coordination
Develop use of cause and effect -
Promote relaxation -
(Deparment for Education and Skills, 2005, p. 10)
When designing learning environments, it is essential that the use of the spaces are understood, ensuring the designs are fit for purpose to create a positive impact.
Classroom environment
The conclusive evidence discovered that school layouts can influence a child's development by as much as 25% (positively and negatively) over the course of an academic year.
6 of the environmental factors correlated with grade scores.
"This is the first time a holistic assessment has been made that successfully links the overall impact directly to learning rates in schools. The impact identified is in fact far greater than we imagined."
(Steadman, 2013)
A study, conducted by Peter Barrett, explored if there was any evidence for demonstrable impacts of school buildings in the learning rates of pupils in primary schools.
The context aimed to take a multi-dimensional, holistic view of the built environments within which pupils study and sought to discover and explain the impacts on their well-being and performance.
Each classroom was rated for quality on 10 different environmental factors in order to prove that architecture and design of classrooms have a significant role to play in influencing acadmic performance.
Colour
Choice
Connection
Flexibility
Complexity
Light
The activites that occur during children’s free play, particularly on the playground form a valuable part of their development. Developing their social and physical skills learned in informal play environments are so important for children so that they are able to integrate socially and vocationally, develop a positive awareness of the differences within the school population and be able to accept these differences with respect and understanding. In free play, children are exposed to an element of give and take which helps define acceptable social behaviour. Physical activities stimulated by playground equipment improve balance, hand-eye co-ordination and gross motor skills, all of which need to be encouraged in children.
(DIANE Publishing Company, 1996, p. 8)
“Achieving the appropriate level of stimulation for learning is also important and raises the issues of functional requirements versus aesthetic preferences. So young children may like exciting spaces, but to learn it would seem they need relatively ordered spaces, but with a reasonable degree of interest”. (Barrett et al, 2013)
"Only by talking to teachers, specialists, parents, carers and the children themselves – and incorporating their expertise and experience – can a good quality, detailed brief be developed, which will help turn bricks and mortar into an inspiring, ‘inclusive’ school environment that matches the needs of the community it serves." (Learning Spaces, 2014)
- School designs cannot be imposed or 'bought-off-the-shelf'
- School users need to be engaged in the design process to
determine the success or failure of the resulting design
- If users are able to provide a distinctive vision for their
school, then they should be able to work with designers and
architects to create integrated solutions
- No design solution will last forever due to a changing world
- Users should be continually involved and supported
- Different users have different perceptions and needs to the
architect's perspective
- Genuine involvement of users empowers individuals
- Produces greater satisfaction and should improve design
- Staff morale is a crucial aspect of a learning environment
(Higgins et al, 2005, p. 3, 7)
- Consultation takes place
- Outcome responses inform the briefing and design processes
- School staff are a good source of information due to valuable
insights and expertise regarding the effectiveness and quality
of provisions
- Teachers and staff are able to give the design team further
information about: the age of the children, the particular
educational requirements, the type/range of subjects to be
taught, the type of curriculum that will be taught, the type/
range of activities that will take place in each space and the
various teaching methods used
- Parents of pupils can be involved in the design as appropriate
- Consult other education, health and social-care professionals
(Department for Education and Skills, 2005, p. 65, 96)
“Without such an understanding the danger is that wider policy imperatives will leave us with another generation of schools fit for the past, rather than the future”. (Higgins et al, 2005, p. 4)
John Jenkins
Government
Scientific research
"It is absolutely crucial that somehow the end users are involved in the brief - building process."
Users should be consulted throughout the project and the brief should be developed by all parties, working as a team towards a common goal.
Argues that it is key that the end users are buying into the design, so they have some responsibility.
(Scott, 2009, p. 40)
Present state of research in school consultation may be best characterised as promising, emerging, and developing.
Assessment is slightly more optimistic than that offered six years ago.
It remains our distinct impression that progress in school consultation research tends to move slowly, producing small yet noticeable changes over time.
(Erchul and Sheridan, 2014, p. 3)
Parents should know their children best and should share their knowledge about how their child is developing, and involve them when writing school policies.
New approach to special educational needs provision will place pupils at the centre of the planning and make teachers more accountable for their progress.
(Cook, 2014)
Describes the physical needs of the school:
- Impact on its environment
- Accommodation requirements
- Spatial relationships
- Room data sheets
- Performance specifications
It is vital that the brief for a school building project identifies and describes fully the current and anticipated likely needs of the pupils so that these can inform the design. Briefing is an iterative process, which involves the testing and re-testing of ideas. Therefore, the brief should be set out in a way which enables its progress to be reviewed at critical stages.
Briefing involves setting out information, giving instructions and defining the essential characteristics and requirements for the school buildings. It will be necessary to describe both quantitative and qualitative attributes, which may be thought of as comprising two aspects:
Describes the vision of the school:
- Ambience
- Sense of place
- Potential uses of spaces
- Reflecting educational aims and values
Aspiration brief
Practical brief
(Department for Education and Skills, 2005, p. 19, 65-66)
Communications and services
Acoustics
Ventilation
Heating
Layout and storage
Lighting
Fittings and equipments
Hoisting
Furniture
Learning aids
Display
Subject resources
Room relationships
Finishes
Materials
Aspect
Proportion
Space
Size
For any school, the brief should describe the following for each space:
Schedule Of Accommodation
Learning and social spaces
-
Class bases
-
Learning resource spaces
-
Practical spaces
-
Accessible outdoor spaces
-
Accessible internal and external circulation routes
-
Large spaces for movement and sport
-
Large space for assembly
-
Spaces for music/drama
SEN and disability specialist support spaces
-
Medical facilities
-
Therapy spaces
-
Physiotherapy
-
Sensory learning
-
Counselling
-
Social skills development
Staff spaces
-
Outreach and training for visiting professionals
-
Necessary stores and maintenance services
-
Accessible toilets and changing spaces
-
Kitchen spaces
(Educational Funding Agency, 2014, p. 21)
Special needs schools should be planned as part of the whole community of local schools, as they have an important role to play in providing:
-
Centres of excellence for pupils who have SEN and disabilities
-
Outreach and training services which will support local community schools
-
Facilities for pupils who would benefit from extended-school activities
-
Facilities for community use (For sports, arts and lifelong learning)
-
Bases for multi-agency services to support children and their families
-
Parent's room
(Department for Education and Skills, 2005, p. 11)
"But in the heart of a brief cannot be written down. It has to come from an understanding of the childs mind; the things that are comforting and give a sense of security, a feeling of space where there are places for being alone and for socialising, an easily understood geography with no threatening or over-stimulating features. This understanding can only come with time and patient observation of how children and carers interact”. (Assirelli, 2011)