School Buildings

A primary school reduces costs by using in-house cleaners

A primary school shows how bringing cleaning in-house has helped save money, in this school finance resource. Zena Smart, bursar of Ranelagh Primary School in Newham, realised that the local authority cleaning contract was costing a lot of money. After a visit by Department for Education Procurement Expert, Claire Dicks, Zena decided to take the cleaning in-house. Zena explains how this process involved a great deal of administration (following the Transfer of Undertakings - TUPE - regulations), organisation and initial outlay on cleaning equipment and materials. But as a result of the change, Zena has managed to gain more cleaning hours while saving the school a significant sum of money.

Bringing the Cleaning Contract In-House

Chair of governors Simon Mares looks to learn more about BSF

Simon Mares, chair of governors at Little Ilford School in Newham, discovers the implications for a governing body of the Building Schools for the Future programme. Mares is involved in the early stages of a complete rebuild of Little Ilford School under the BSF programme. He visits Whitefield Fishponds School in Bristol - a school where the project is now far advanced - in order to learn some valuable lessons. He is particularly interested in the ICT provision and the sustainability features, both of which are expected to be central to every BSF project.

Building Schools for the Future (BSF)

How a school built an eco-friendly classroom

Lanlivery Primary School in Cornwall raised their own funds and commissioned and built an eco-friendly extension for their reception area and more classroom space for Key Stage 1 pupils. The school's new facility uses state-of-the-art sustainable materials and includes outdoor decking for playtime. Because the design relied on timber, the new building cost a fraction of what the school would have paid for a conventional extension. Lanlivery's headteacher and their chair of governors took a calculated risk, worked extremely hard and got the whole community to help out. Now they are the proud owners of a building that won the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors 2004 award for sustainability.

Building Sights

A focus on recruitment at the Hadley Learning Community

In this programme Hadley Learning Community principal, Dr Gill Eatough, looks to build a workforce at the newly extended school, overseeing job interviews and placements. Gill wants a workforce committed to the ethos of providing better opportunities for the people of Hadley which the new school serves. She's set herself the target of personally interviewing every new teacher and seeing them perform in the classroom before they get a job at the HLC. Building the Workforce focuses on the interview process for the post of director of engineering. Four candidates endure a tiring two-day selection process culminating in an interview before a panel of seven. Meanwhile there's disappointment for a fifty year-old PE teacher as he fails to secure a new post at the Hadley Learning Community. He reflects on his feelings upon learning that a younger man has got the job he hoped would be his.

Building the Workforce

Recycling resources at Westborough Primary School

The Cardboard Building, at Westborough Primary School in Westcliff, took four years to build and is Europe's first building made from exclusively recycled cardboard materials. The walls, roof and supporting beams are all made from recycled cardboard which was developed from materials the school had collected. All the furniture within the building is made from old materials, which have either been recycled or re-used. Even the garden has been designed from sustainable resources: old chimney pots, railway sleepers and cockle shells from the nearby beach. This programme takes a look inside Westborough School and the revolutionary design of the Cardboard Building, and follows the continuing sustainable development work in the construction of the playground. The experience shows how the development of an acclaimed work of architecture has been used as a teaching aid to support the children?s learning, and how it inspires the pupils to follow careers in design and architecture.

Cardboard School Room

Students transform their dingy canteen with the help of designers

This programme follows the pupils of Acland Burghley School in north London as they brief SHH Design to help them transform their dingy canteen into The Hub, a place to eat and socialise. Involving pupils in this way is a key part of the Joinedupdesignforschools project. The brainchild of The Sorrell Foundation, the project gives pupils a major say in how an aspect of their school's environment is improved. The pupils are the clients, briefing designers who produce designs for their approval. The project follows a four stage pattern: <ul> <li>The challenge</li> <li>The brief</li> <li>The conversation</li> <li>The concept</li> </ul> A follow-up then looks at the school's success in finding the money to turn the creative designs into reality.

Civilised Lunchtime

Designer Kevin McCloud helps young pupils to revamp their hall

Designer Kevin McCloud works with a client team of pupils from Beacon Primary School in Cornwall to transform their dull hall into a bright, colourful, multi-purpose space. Involving pupils in this way is a key part of the Joinedupdesignforschools project. The brainchild of The Sorrell Foundation, the project gives pupils a major say in how an aspect of their school's environment is improved. The pupils are the clients, briefing designers who produce designs for their approval. McCloud, who presents Grand Designs, said: "It's great working with children. They show you how it ought to be with adults, and isn't." The Joinedupdesignforschools project follows a four stage pattern: <ul> <li>The challenge</li> <li>The brief</li> <li>The conversation</li> <li>The concept</li> </ul> A follow-up then looks at the school's success in finding the money to turn the creative designs into reality.

Colour in Our Hall

Governors debate issues surrounding a school construction project

A panel of school governors discuss their legal responsibilities in relation to a series of events in a hypothetical school. After watching a series of reconstructions they debate where the duties of the school governors lie. The team debate the processes involved in a building project to renovate the school's entrance area. The panel question: <ul> <li>The requirements for disabled access</li> <li>School security</li> <li>The health and safety implications of such a project</li> <li>The appropriateness of a suggestion that a relative of one of the governing body should be allowed to tender for the job</li> </ul> The programme will be of value to school governors keen on understanding more about their role and how to ensure they act in the best interests of their school.

Construction

A cluttered room becomes a flexible new "learning den"

The magazine series helping to improve the school environment. Today's episode features Ryton Park Primary School in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. A cluttered room formerly used as a withdrawal space for children with behaviour and learning difficulties was transformed into a flexible "learning den" for children of all abilities. All Change architect Marco da Cruz worked with the school community to design a space which incorporates additional storage, a new interactive white board and more contemporary furniture. Project manager John Cregg collaborated with headteacher Richard Lilley to produce a space which is a more inspirational learning environment. The new motto, "What do you know now that you didn't know when you came though the door?" summarises the atmosphere that the new room creates for the children using it. See our resources and support materials page for links to some of the manufacturers and suppliers whose materials are featured in the programme.

Creating a Learning Den

A look at the building progress of a learning community

This programme charts the creation of the Hadley Learning Community, a new PFI scheme state-of-the-art extended school. The school is designed to provide 21st Century learning environments for a deprived area of Telford, in rural Shropshire. The programme follows the school's principal as she makes crucial design decisions about how the school should be built. The school will include a 1,200 place secondary school, a 420 place primary school and a special school. Community facilities on the site include a nursery, a children's centre, a theatre and a public swimming pool. An entire staff has been recruited and an innovative cross phase curriculum has been developed for this blueprint for the 'Building Schools for the Future' scheme.

Professional Development for Quality Teaching

Whole school

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