Public Sector client ForumMeeting 3: Schools – Settings for Learning

31st May, 2016The Lighthouse, Glasgow

Introduction Background to eventAs part of promoting wider learning and supporting ca-pacity building in the built environment A&DS initiated the Public Sector Client Forum (PSCF) in 2014. The fo-rum is open to clients from across the public sector and is intended to facilitate collective discussion on issues of mutual concern, and encourage sharing of experiences, learning and good practice across sectors.

The Learning Estate Conference, hosted in Glasgow on March 9, identified a range of issues and challenges for the future of the schools estate in Scotland in terms of:

• Changing education needs

• Changing demands, e.g. early years integration, Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, resources

• Options and strategies to deliver modern learning needs across a diverse and changing estate

A key theme to emerge in the discussions was the need to share learning and collaborate on shared issues and challenges across the public sector.

A summary note providing an overview of the Confer-ence is available here.

Bringing together participants from the schools estates and other areas of the public sector, the purpose of this event was to provide a setting for learning and renewed networking, using inspiration from the Learning Es-tates conference and supported by A&DS as part of the emerging Public Sector Client Forum.

The event included an exhibition of examples provid-ed by local authorities of how they are responding to changing settings for learning, showing areas of good practice and areas for improvement, in addition to two short films produced by A&DS on ‘Outdoor Learning’ and ‘James Gillespies High School’.

This newsletter covers talks and shared learning from the event, which was attended by over 50 delegates. Links to presentations and material from the exhibition are available online from the A&DS website: www.ads.org.uk/public-sector-client-forum.

Meeting themeVance Sinclair, South Lanarkshire CouncilVance introduced this Public Sector Client Forum event as a follow up to the Learning Estates Conference, which took place in March 2016. He explained that the event was successful in bringing together not only speakers who challenged the audience with provoca-tions, ideas and examples of teaching and learning al-ready happening in schools, but also a diverse group of attendees across Scotland. The conference experience brought forth a paradox: Despite the common challeng-es faced by the local authority education and schools estates officers at difficult financial times, there is no formal mechanism for them to share their thoughts, concerns, and learning through their experiences of trying to improve the learning experience for pupils of all ages.

Vance then outlined the purpose and programme for the day and invited participation in sharing the lessons from the work done all over Scotland and to explore the opportunities they give us through events such as the Public Sector Client Forum.

World Café Sessions Flexible spaces & collaborative workingKevin Cooper & Lorna Denholm, Archial NORRThe architects presented a project in West Calder that is challenging the typical school layout of cellular spac-es off circulation areas. This new approach is driven by a strong vision and leadership from the client, where a range of different sized learning spaces are grouped around ‘learning plazas’ the size of 2-3 traditional class-rooms. Looking in detail at the different space needs of different subjects, the school meets the SFT cost metric, but contains more functions within an area smaller than the space metric. A compact form has given a smaller external envelope which saves on building costs. The notion of the ‘flexibility of spaces’ was challenged – this doesn’t always mean a big space where standard furni-ture can be rearranged, often bespoke solutions can be more flexible.

Interesting questions raised over the session included: whether the school’s energy centre could be a learning opportunity; if teachers need briefing on how to use new types of spaces for learning; if there could be a post- occupancy evaluation template that allows assessing how well the spaces fit their purpose; and how uses of these flexible spaces will be controlled/scheduled.

Learning through changeDr Eddie Edgerton, University of the West of ScotlandEddie focused on his insights from reviewing the exam-ples of schools recently built or refurbished. He provid-ed an interesting perspective on the impact learning environments have on users and the need to evidence how the renewal of learning spaces affects them. He also noted that we need to bridge what’s done now in the schools estate with what we want to achieve.

Eddie described current drivers and common themes for school renewal, along with key messages emerging from the Learning Estate Conference. The ‘why’ ques-tion – identifying the problem at the start – challenges around anxieties in the teaching profession for change and open learning, and the importance of child-led approaches. In response Eddie cautioned high-level provocations, the lack of knowledge/information/data and stressed the importance of pedagogy being the driver for new learning environments.

Looking ahead to the future for school renewal Eddie emphasised the importance of learning through change, regardless of scale, and adopting the correct method-ology for evaluating and research – establish what is being measured, how this is being done and taking an appropriate sample – a why, what and how approach.

Eddie concluded by noting work by East Dunbartonshire Council to monitor change in attainment, motivation, behaviour and self-esteem through sampling 7 second-ary schools over an 8-year period, allowing them to demonstrate impact with a high degree of confidence.

Creating a digital estateEleftheria Maravelaki, A&DS on behalf of Bernard Chisholm, Western Isles CouncilEleftheria described the digital estate, currently being developed in the Western Isles in an attempt to address the need for equal access to learning for all pupils, regardless of their location or size of school. Digitally enabled pods designed by the pupils will be used by teachers to broadcast the teaching from different loca-tions to all the learners with an interest in that subject area, while applications which enable communication over the Internet by voice have already linked the Western Isles with schools in France in a virtual shared classroom experience for language learning. Sharing a common timetable across the schools has facilitated this approach which will be applied across the estate by May 2017.

While the possible challenges of this approach were dis-cussed (how interactive it can be, student assessment and qualifications, class supervision, technical difficul-ties), it was agreed that the digital estate presents sig-nificant potential to respond to the shortages of teach-ing staff, loss of learning time and financial resources to transport pupils between schools and also to extend the learning audience into the local community.

TalksInspirational Learning SpacesAlan Wait & Maurice McCann, Midlothian CouncilMidlothian is one of Scotland’s smallest councils, but one of the fastest growing, with significant implications for the school estate. “Inspirational Learning Spaces” is a project to get Midlothian thinking differently about learning spaces, both how they are designed and what happens in them.

Starting in September and running for 32 weeks, the project will involve one class each in 22 schools across Midlothian at P6 or P7 level. Learning challenges that require different types of space will see pupils carrying out research, making plans and transforming open or shared areas and adapting traditional classrooms – a process that will be studied to inform how new schools can be designed. These new schools will be delivered through different partnerships and it will be important to get everyone on board, in particular teachers and also parents.

Midlothian have decided to move towards a ‘learning zones’ approach. (see Learning Estates Conference: Presentation by Stephen Heppell) A school (Pen-icuik) has been identified where the “Inspirational Learning Spaces” project will help inform the brief. The outcome of the Penicuik project will be used to inform the Shawfair development, where the aim is to create Midlothian’s first learning community.

Benefits of Design Statements in NHSScotlandSusan Grant, Health Facilities ScotlandSusan gave an overview of the NHSScotland Design Assessment Process (NDAP), developed by A&DS and Health Facilities Scotland in 2010 to support briefing and design assessment of new Hospital and Health Care Facilities in Scotland.

The process relies on early engagement with a wide range of stakeholders (including staff, patients, carers and visitors) to establish main service objectives and allow a consensus to be reached early in the briefing process. Through 2 half-day workshops, facilitated by A&DS and HFS, stakeholders are asked to ‘walk through’ a day in the life of the proposed service/fa-cility to imagine how they might experience different environments. Statements are captured from different user groups about their needs from a qualitative point of view, later illustrated by stakeholders with sample images of what success might look like. The (typically 10-20 page) Design Statement document is used to set benchmarks for option appraisals for future assessment as designs develop, and sits alongside the technical brief.

Benefits for this type of service were discussed, in terms of being useful to help focus on functions rather than features and allow input at briefing stage, and potential for transfer to education – in one case a sim-ilar process being piloted for a new primary school in Bearsden.

Re-purposing spaces we already haveGillian Lockyer, Studio 42 DesignDrawing on known methods used by teachers to test change in the curriculum, we propose low cost micro design projects to gather data, test possibilities and build collaboration. Begin with learning and teaching outcomes.

Whole estate opportunity: There are generic school types across Scotland. For each, map opportunity spaces, visualise possibilities to help people buy in. En-courage collaboration between local authorities; shared knowledge over piecemeal projects.

Anchor in learning and teaching priorities: Root the pro-ject in specific initiatives; eg attainment challenge: rel-evance. Project could be helpful to manage transitions between primary/secondary, building learner readiness through ‘making’. It could also help S1-S3 become an integrated learning experience.

Change makers: Schools-led with innovator teachers; to plant seeds of change and share learning. Recruiting the innovators/ learners, and supporting them is key. Show tangible benefits; linking outcomes to citizenship and soft skills.

Be practical: Some projects can happen, no permission needed. Map what is possible and expected for each project type. Set criteria; is this the best place in the school for this kind of project. Re-think circulation as learning space. Address storage. Address behaviours in a space, management issues. Be proportionate on risk requirements.

Reflectionsfrom the chairThe Chair concluded the event by thanking all for attending, with particular thanks to the speakers for their thought provoking and valuable contributions. Delegates were encouraged to reflect on how often the Forum should meet and whether the format for the afternoon was useful, and were invited to consider how they might like to lead in setting topics to be discussed for the next meeting.

What happens next?A follow-up event is proposed to take place in October this 2016. If you haven’t yet signed up for the PSCF mailing list and you are interested in taking part, either as a delegate and/or contributing as a speaker, please get in touch with A&DS via steven.malone@ads.org.uk.

www.ads.org.uk @ArcDesScoT: 0131 556 6699E: info@ads.org.uk

Bakehouse Close146 CanongateEdinburgh EH8 8DD

Level 2, The Lighthouse11 Mitchell LaneGlasgowG1 3NU

A&DS offer these services, tailored to Public Sector clients:

Design Advice to Public Sector ClientsWe support procuring agencies in the public sector to deliver buildings, infrastructure and places of lasting quality, giving access to design advice from a highly experienced panel of experts

Re-purposing Learning Space: Tests of ChangeA prototyping service, re-purposing existing learning spaces to support change and improvement

Schools Design AssessmentThe Schools Design Assessment Service is offered to Education Authorities to support the briefing and options stage of new school investment and design

Contact: Steve MaloneT: 0131 550 0930E: steven.malone@ads.org.uk

Contact:Diarmaid LawlorT: 0131 550 0937E: diarmaid.lawlor@ads.org.uk

Contact:Diarmaid LawlorT: 0131 550 0937E: diarmaid.lawlor@ads.org.uk

This newsletter is produced by A&DS for the Public Sector Client Forum (PSCF). More information can be found at www.ads.org.uk/public-sector-client-forum