The effect of buildings on pupil learning

Did you know that 60% of school buildings date from before 1976?

Dingy cold classrooms and dilapidated facilities built for generations of pupils now approaching retirement.

They are all too common, yet school buildings can have a major impact on students’ performance.

Poorly designed spaces and sub-standard materials are not conducive to teaching and learning, studies have found.

Here are the verdicts of just two research projects:

"School layouts can influence a child's development by as much as 25% over the course of an academic year.“ University of Salford, 2012

"Those children in poorer school environments tend to have poorer attitudes and behaviour as well as lower attainment.“ Kumar et al., 2008

But did you know that 60% of school buildings date from before 1976?

It’s not surprising that more than 1 in 6 schools in England require urgent repairs.

Of course, when you're caught in a tangle of tight budgets it’s hard to see the bigger picture.

That’s where Surveyors to Education (S2e) comes in. We can support you in obtaining the funding you need for refurbishment or new building, choosing the right design, and project managing construction.

With funding to bring your premises right up to date you can create inspiring places to work and learn – spaces brilliantly designed to enhance performance and wellbeing.

How would your pupils benefit from improved layout and plenty of natural daylight? How would budgets benefit from reduced running costs thanks to energy efficiency?

How would teacher retention improve? Feedback has shown that 1 in 20 teachers leaving their job have cited poor building conditions.

More studies support the benefits of refurbishing your estate:

Research published in Building and Environment in 2015 described the impact of buildings on the learning progress as “a major new finding for schools' research [which] suggests that the scale of the impact of building design on human performance and wellbeing in general can be isolated and that it is non-trivial.”

And US research by EdSurge (2016) concluded: “Not only are some spaces more inspiring and healthier to occupy, but simply investing in a space provides the messaging to kids that they matter. That they deserve a beautiful space to be in, because we care that they are learning and constantly improving.”

Securing funding to renovate your estate also opens up the opportunity to “go green” with more sustainable buildings.

In the words of environmentalist Gregory Kats, Managing Principal of Capital E, a green venture firm: “Greening school design provides an extraordinarily cost-effective way to enhance student learning.”

Contact us today by calling 01530 877969 or emailing enquire@s2e.org.uk. S2e is passionate about improving school buildings.