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BUILDING OUR FUTURE: Scotland's School Estate
3. THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL
OBJECTIVES
1. Our strategy must begin with clear objectives - what are our aspirations for schools of today and tomorrow? How can the physical environment of the school help us deliver the highest quality education for young people? This section builds on the vision described in the introduction and sets out our objectives for the school estate, and how these can be delivered through the physical environment of the school.
OUR OBJECTIVES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL > TO DELIVER BETTER SERVICES WITHIN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT THAT FOCUS ON: > THE CHILD AT THE CENTRE - MEETING THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN; > THE SCHOOL AT THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY - MEETING THE NEEDS OF COMMUNITIES. > TO DELIVER THESE SERVICES, IN RESPECT OF THE SCHOOL ESTATE, THROUGH THE RIGHT: > CONDITION - A SAFE, SECURE ENVIRONMENT; > SUFFICIENCY - SCHOOLS THAT MATCH DEMAND; > SUITABILITY - SUPPORTING THE DELIVERY OF BETTER PUBLIC SERVICES INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF THE RIGHT FACILITIES; > LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT - TAKING ACCOUNT OF THE LONG TERM; > DESIGN - TURNING OUR OBJECTIVES INTO REALITY. |
2. We want to achieve quality and excellence in the services delivered through our schools: to do this we need rigorous planning and decision making processes which take account of users' views. This section sets out general issues for consideration in developing the 21st century school. There is no single answer - the right local solutions will need to reflect local circumstance.
The child at the centre
3. Responses to the National Debate on Education 10 show a clear expectation that the school will continue to be the main place of education for most children and young people. The school should offer an environment that supports learning and teaching and gives every child and young person the best possible start in life, that supports and encourages them in their personal and social development, and that takes into account their individual needs.
4. There is a growing menu of activities that young people experience in school, such as out of hours clubs, school meals, and, as part of the new community school approach, access to integrated education, social work, family support, and health education and promotion services. We are committed to increasing the range of sporting and cultural opportunities available to children and young people. These activities need to be considered alongside more traditional provision. The future will bring further new ideas and we need to build in flexibility to be able to respond to these. All of these activities relate to the needs of the child or young person at school - and this is the primary focus of the 21st century school.
5. As well as the needs of children and young people, we need to take account of the needs of the teachers and other staff who deliver services in schools, and ensure that the school environment supports them in this.
6. This is a complex picture as we look to develop the 21st century school around the varied needs of its users.
7. The National Priorities 11 provide a framework for the delivery of education. The school environment is central to this and the menu of issues to be considered is set out below. This is not definitive and, in practice, the needs of individuals will vary. Rather, it is a starting point for local authorities to consider in developing local solutions by interpreting a general framework to best meet local needs.
A CHILD'S NEEDS
PRIORITY 1 | ATTAINMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT There should be appropriate facilities, and flexibility, for example, to accommodate different size groups and innovative approaches, to support the delivery of the curriculum, and to raise levels of attainment and achievement, including in examinations. |
PRIORITY 2 | LEARNING AND TEACHING The environment should be conducive to learning and teaching, support teachers in their role, and encourage participation and self discipline by pupils. |
PRIORITY 3 | EQUALITY AND OPPORTUNITY The 21st century school should take account of the diverse needs of individual children and young people, meeting the needs of the whole child. The school should help every pupil maximise their potential, irrespective of background and, in particular, should address the needs of pupils with disabilities and additional support needs, and those for whom English is not a first, or principal, language. |
PRIORITY 4 | CITIZENSHIP The school environment should support positive self respect and respect for others, within the school, community and in wider society. It should also enhance an appreciation of citizenship and individuals' roles and responsibilities in society. |
PRIORITY 5 | PROSPERING IN A CHANGING SOCIETY The 21st century school should help pupils gain the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations that they will need to flourish in society, and encourage them in their personal creativity and ambition. |
A COMMUNITY'S NEEDS
The school at the heart of the community
8. Delivering better services to children and young people through the school environment is the primary focus of the 21st century school. Schools also make an important contribution to the wider community: they are a physical focus for many communities and provide a real or potential resource for the community, for example, offering opportunities for life long learning, culture, recreation and sport. This is the second objective for the 21st century school: to deliver better services to the community through the school environment.
9. The Scottish Executive's priorities for building a better Scotland 12 provide a framework for delivering better public services. The school environment makes an important contribution to this and the menu of issues to be considered is set out below. This is not definitive: every school will have a number of different communities - of place, of interest - each with differing needs. Rather, it is a starting point for local authorities to consider in developing local solutions by interpreting a general framework to best meet local needs, which will include balancing competing needs, taking account of the wider picture across the local authority and the community plan.
EDUCATION: TO GIVE EVERY CHILD AND YOUNG PERSON THE BEST POSSIBLE START IN LIFE. | Schools play an important part in giving children and young people the best possible start in life. This is discussed in more detail earlier in this section. Schools should provide facilities for sporting and cultural use to meet school, and where appropriate, community needs. |
CRIME: TO CREATE A SAFER AND FAIRER SCOTLAND. | The school is a core part of the physical community and should play a role in building strong, confident communities and a safer environment, and contribute to an improved quality of life for the community. |
JOBS: TO CREATE A HIGHLY SKILLED, EARNING, CONNECTED SCOTLAND. | We want economic growth and to give everyone access to the right skills. Schools can contribute to this, through education and training, and also as places of employment. |
HEALTH: TO BUILD A HEALTHY, CARING SCOTLAND. | Schools can contribute to health improvement through education, including health promotion, and the provision of services that are focused on users' needs. |
TRANSPORT: TO PROMOTE AN ACCESSIBLE SCOTLAND. | Schools should be integrated within wider transport plans, taking account of issues such as accessibility, and transport to school. |
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | The school environment should take account of sustainable development, including issues of resource use, energy and travel. |
CLOSING THE OPPORTUNITY GAP | We want a society founded on fairness, equality and opportunity: closing the opportunity gap should be a fundamental tenet of our objectives. |
DELIVERING BETTER SERVICES | This strategy is built around delivering better services that are focussed on the needs of users, through the school environment. Schools should deliver well-run, cost-effective and innovative public services that improve standards while minimising costs and bureaucracy. |
DELIVERING OUR OBJECTIVES: THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
10. The first part of this section sets out objectives for the 21st century school, focusing on delivering better services to children, young people and communities. These objectives must be supported through the right physical environment: this covers issues of condition, sufficiency, suitability, life cycle management and design.
Condition - a safe, secure environment
11. The physical condition of the school and its grounds has an immediate impact on users. A school in poor physical condition can get in the way of delivering services: it also sends out the wrong signal about the importance placed on schools. Some of the issues to be addressed are set out below. This is not an exhaustive checklist, but a starting point for local authorities' consideration.
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
> This includes the physical construction and condition of buildings and grounds, and the impact on the local environment, taking account of issues such as noise, pollution, efficient use of resources, sustainability and transport.
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
> This includes the comfort of users, taking account of issues such as space, air quality, temperature, humidity, light, noise, and the fit between the building and the activities taking place within it.
ACCESS AND SECURITY
> This includes ease of access, the safety and security of users, and security of the building.
BUILD QUALITY
> This includes providing the most efficient and economical physical environment over the life of the building, taking account of sustainability.
Sufficiency - schools that match demand
12. We need schools that are the right size, in the right place, at the right time. Schools that operate beyond desirable occupancy and under used schools both bring problems which may impact on the quality of learning and teaching as well as on overall efficiency of resource use. One of the major challenges is to optimise the match between supply and demand. Some of the issues to be addressed are set out below. Again, this is not an exhaustive checklist, but a starting point for local authorities' consideration.
DEMAND
> This includes current and projected population levels for schools, catchment areas, and placing requests.
SUPPLY
> This includes the current school estate, taking account of distribution, makeup and flexibility of use, as well as other buildings which are, or may be, used to deliver related services.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
> This includes issues such as accommodation size and uses, social spaces, ability to respond to changing requirements, and maximising the fit betweenusers' needs for, and location of, services.
WIDER IMPACT
> This includes the fit between the school and the wider environment, taking account of issues such as design, planning and transport.
Suitability - supporting the delivery of better public services including the provision of the right facilities
13. We want schools that support the delivery of better public services. This requires us to look not only at today's services, but also to consider the potential for future change, and to build in flexibility so that we can respond. The earlier part of this section discusses this in more detail.
Life cycle management - taking account of the long term
14. The school estate is a major public capital asset. We build schools for the long term and need to take a long term perspective in planning and assessing options. This includes issues of resources, flexibility and sustainability over the projected lifetime of the estate.
15. Life cycle planning provides a framework for the consideration of whole life costs when options are being assessed for investment in the estate. These costs encompass not only initial capital work, but also long term maintenance, service and performance standards.
Design - turning our objectives into reality
16. Good design will be the key to turning our aspirations for the school estate into reality. Design quality is about more than aesthetics - it is achieved by the careful synthesis of many factors and is an essential part of achieving value for money. We need to secure the best possible design input to deliver schools that meet future needs and expectations, offer an environment that supports learning and teaching, and contribute to a positive ethos among children, young people and communities.
17. High quality design must be integrated in the planning and development process. It cannot be considered in isolation at a late stage or as an optional extra. And it must involve pupils, teachers, staff and other users in developing a clear understanding of how the school will be used.
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