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Case Studies Building Our Future: Scotland's School Estate

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL ESTATE MANAGEMENT PLAN

Title

North Lanarkshire Council is developing a GIS based system to host inter-related databases for its school estate management plan. This will be part of the corporate asset management plan.

Outcome

The GIS system is intranet based, allowing access to other departments' information, which is updated by them. This will allow spatial capacity to be used to determine our strategic and operational planning such as educational provision, capital projects, catchment areas and role projection.

Lessons

• carefully select the information to be collected
• involve other departments and corporate IT at the earliest possible stage
• give careful consideration to the output specification
• identify the lessons which can be drawn which other authorities may find useful.

Contact
Ron Dufour
Education Officer
Municipal Buildings
Education Department
North Lanarkshire Council
Kildonan Street
COATBRIDGE
ML5 3BT
Telephone: 01236 812258
Email: education@northlan.gov.uk

IMPROVING DELIVERY OF PUBLIC SERVICES AND COMMUNITY USE AT DALKEITH CAMPUS

The Dalkeith campus schools - Dalkeith High, St David's Roman Catholic High and Saltersgate schools were brought together to meet a number of objectives:

• improve the school estate and achieve best value
• maximise the sports and community facilities available to the schools
• provide Dalkeith and wider Midlothian communities with sports and leisure facilities as prescribed in the Sporting Facilities Needs Models carried out for Midlothian Council and sportscotland
• provide inclusion and integration in a two way model for our high schools and special school for children with additional needs
• improve opportunities for lifelong learning
• achieve contract continuing lifecycle management for these school buildings
• design a building fit for educational, community and civic purposes.

Outcome

The campus has been successful in fulfilling the majority of the objectives. Some have been achieved from its opening in October 2003. Some, such as the inclusion and lifelong learning strategies, will be fulfilled from the strong base that the campus buildings will give. In addition the council has been able to maximise resource funding through the PPP process and Lottery funding from sportscotland. The community facilities bring two swimming pools, leisure and sports facilities to the Dalkeith community which it lacked before.

Lessons

Economies of scale

The schools each had swimming pools in their old buildings. We now have one full-sized 25m pool and one teaching pool, giving a reduction in running costs. The schools have a joint school library which will be open longer without any increased staff resources. The school for children with additional needs has a facility it never had before and could not have been provided in a stand-alone school. The reprographics technician of one school will provide a service for the entire campus.

Maximising resources

As the campus will provide sports and community facilities, a substantial Lottery Grant from sportscotland was obtained. There are also efficiencies in facilities management services such as janitorial services.

Joint corporate working

The project team came from across council divisions - legal, technical and education. We worked together as a team and it gave staff an insight to take a more corporate approach and perhaps see things from a different perspective.

Joint working

The schools have formed a Senior Management Team to look at various issues relating to the campus including timetabling, social and dining protocols, vandalism and pupil behaviour and the green travel plan. The high schools will provide curricular access - standard and higher grade - to pupils with additional needs who would benefit from this, creating greater inclusion. The school for children with additional needs will offer similar curricular access to high school pupils who would benefit from their specialist teaching. In the future they will offer outreach services to the high schools.

Maximising school sites and community facilities

By combining the schools we have been able to offer extended sports and community facilities to the public including:

Contact
Jane Clarke
Head of Support Services
Midlothian Council
Fairfield House
8 Lothian Road
DALKEITH
Midlothian
EH22 3ZG
Telephone: 0131 271 3721
Email: jane.clarke@midlothian.gov.uk

INCORPORATING GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE IN SCHOOL DESIGN

The joint campus of Cumbernauld Primary and St Andrew's Primary and Nursery Class, incorporates a number of building initiatives:

• a wind turbine which is capable of producing a small amount of electricity
• the heating system includes the use of roof mounted solar panels
• a separate sports pavilion situated adjacent to the all weather synthetic playing surface provided in partnership with sportscotland.

Outcome

The electricity generated from the wind turbine can be sold back to the national grid and is linked to a weather station in the school library allowing the meteorological information to be incorporated into the curriculum. The sports pavilion allows both school use and community use without impacting on the main school building.

The building success has only been surpassed by the success of the integration of the whole school community demonstrated through a number of joint ventures including a project with Scottish Opera.

Lessons

• target consultation
• involve external bodies such as community councils and the police from the start
• manage the process centrally, with dedicated staff
• evaluate consultation feedback
• where possible, offer options.

Contact
Ron Dufour
Education Officer
Municipal Buildings
Education Department
North Lanarkshire Council
Kildonan Street
COATBRIDGE
ML5 3BT
Telephone: 01236 812258
Email: education@northlan.gov.uk

INTEGRATED CHILDREN'S SERVICES STRATEGY

South Lanarkshire Council and its partners have developed an integrated children's services strategy. This has incorporated the roll out of the integrated community schools approach and the key priorities in For Scotland's Children. This strategy has allowed the development of four Integrated Children's Services bases in three secondary schools and one primary school. Two integrated family support bases have been established in primary schools.

Outcome

The co-location of multi-disciplinary staff teams involving key agencies, including Education, Social Work, Health and Careers Scotland. These teams are developing a range of support services for vulnerable children and their families within school campuses. The base helps to promote the ethos of schools being at the heart of communities.

Lessons

The development of integrated children's services bases need to be at the centre of the school community in order to produce better outcomes for children and families and requires adequate and appropriate space for the development of partnership working.

Contact
Isobel MacDougall
Integrated Children Service Manager
South Lanarkshire Council
Council Offices
Almada Street
HAMILTON
ML3 0AE
Telephone: 01698 455617
Email: isobel.macdougall@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

David Booth
Partnership Development Manager
South Lanarkshire Council
Council Offices
Almada Street
HAMILTON
ML3 0AE
Telephone: 01698 527150
Email: david.booth@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

INTEGRATED SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES

Assessing how a building performs relies on feedback from users. This project uses computer simulation to contribute to visualisation and acoustic and energy modelling. The design principle behind the project was to achieve environmental good practice by conserving energy, creating a good internal environment and taking advantage of the rich landscape forming the backdrop to the buildings.

Outcome

The integrated community school serves the North Lochs Area of Lewis providing education from 5 to 14 years. The school replaces a number of small schools within the area. A pre-school nursery is also provided. The local community has access to the three-court sports hall, all weather ball court and games pitch. Community access may be extended to the café and library.

Design

Options were assessed through the use of computer modelling techniques to optimise orientation, services use, sustainable construction, internal environment and to reduce the adverse effects of the external environment.

To maximise the benefits of the site and achieve improved environmental conditions, sketch proposals gave the client ideas at an early stage in the procurement process. Issues which arose during the briefing process included: concept; building form; shape and mass (maximise - solar gain, natural lighting and natural ventilation); orientation; access - public/specific user groups/service; road safety and security; planting; landscape features, shelter next to the building; drainage; colour and texture; and sustainable materials. The project energy plan was supported by a dynamic thermal modelling exercise prior to the detailed design process.

The use of the courtyard in the harsh local environment provides shelter and sunlight adjacent to the building, enclosure of a safe and secure environment, and play space close to the teaching space. A high quality environment is achieved with tempered fresh air giving health benefits and a good teaching environment. The energy system integrates with the social functions. Solar shafts and corridors act as return routes for contaminated air.

Controllable roof vents contribute to the natural ventilation system. Air quality, pressure differentials, temperature, rain and wind direction and velocity are controlled by a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) in conjunction with a weather station and the external and internal louvre system. A heavy structure with a high thermal capacity evens out temperature swings and high levels of natural light (giving passive solar gain) together with high insulation values.

Early indications are that the building energy consumption performance is good. The BEMS also integrates with security and fire systems. Other sustainability objectives are achieved through the use of robust materials such as concrete blocks to utilise high thermal mass by absorbing the sun's rays.

Lessons

Integrated provision has been achieved for pupils, staff, parents and the community. In terms of social inclusion, provision has been achieved for pre-school children, pupils with severe and complex needs, and pupils of the Gaelic medium.

Children's needs were analysed in the context of the integrated community school. One of the results identified was the need for quiet areas which have been provided near to class teaching space.

Other outcomes include:

• social integration through personalisation of space and the creation of a pleasant internal and external environment
• complex provision in a rural setting
• the internal and external environment designed to optimum standards
• integrated social and environmental provision
• the needs of the child are placed at the centre of the integrated community school
• there is the potential for future development and adaptation of the multi-use community facility to meet changing needs
• data gathered through the use of the building will be shared with others and put into future project modelling exercises, contributing to the quality of information available to improve existing and future school provision.

Contact
Calum Hunter
Assistant Director
Education Department
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Sandwick Road
STORNOWAY
Isle of Lewis
HS1 2BW
Telephone: 01851 709 456
Email: mhunter@cne-siar.gov.uk

INTEGRATION OF SPECIAL FACILITIES IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS

There are now Language and Communication facilities at Riverside Primary and Dunblane Primary; a Gaelic medium facility at Riverside Primary and it is proposed to integrate the specialist Charles Brown facility into Fallin Primary. It is also proposed to locate the special school at Kildean to an integrated community campus at Raploch (as part of Stirling Council's Schools PPP project).

Outcome

The children are able to access all of the mainstream facilities of the schools while still receiving appropriate specialist support. This makes for an enhanced learning experience for the children, improved social interaction and allows them to have access to a wider range of opportunities. It also makes more efficient use of resources. In addition there are significant educational benefits for mainstream pupils.

Lessons

Full consultation is critical to ensure success. It is important for all parents to understand and appreciate the benefits offered to all pupils.

It is also important to ensure that physically, the school environment can meet all the needs of the children and that resources are appropriate.

Contact
Joyce Wighton
Planning and Resources Manager
Children's Services
Stirling Council
Viewforth
STIRLING
FK8 2ET
Telephone: 01786 443418
Email: wightonj@stirling.gov.uk

INVOLVING STAKEHOLDERS AT NEW ANDERSON HIGH SCHOOL

Shetland Islands Council is about to build a new Anderson High School in Lerwick in a local partnership with all stakeholders. A Task Force, which includes parents and pupils, is to give strategic direction and guidance to the design team.

Two full day meetings have taken place during which the student council has been heavily involved. At the first meeting they gave a powerpoint presentation about the current state of their school and what they would like to see in the new school. The audience included the Head Teacher, other staff, parents, councillors, education officers, asset management officers, school design consultants, and others with an interest. Their presentation was fabulous and impressed us all.

It is intended that they form part of a small group of people to visit other examples of good design practice in Scotland.

Outcome

The student council's presentation will inform the design team and assist the architect in the preparation of schematic layouts.

Lessons

• to involve the stakeholders at an early stage
• to bring everyone together to meet common aims
• to tap into the enthusiasm of young minds.

Contact

Jim Johnston
Senior Education Officer
Shetland Council
Hayfield House
Hayfield Lane
LERWICK
Shetland
ZE1 0QD
Telephone: 01595 744054
Email: jim.johnston@sic.shetland.gov.uk

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