DESIGN AS A SOCIAL PRACTICE

the experience of new build schools

Abstract

This paper explores the ways in which design influences the perceptions and actions of students and teachers at five UK secondary schools. An understanding of practice differences at these schools extends typical Post Occupancy Evaluations (POEs) which focus on environmental issues such as acoustics, lighting and temperature, typically uses quantitative methods and often fail to explore how different environmental factors interact with users through time (HYGGE, 2003; GALASIU and VEITCH, 2006; SHAUGHNESSY et al., 2006; WINTERBOTTOM and WILKINS, 2009). There is also a lack of attention to the ways in which the processes of occupation may shape the experience of such spaces (STABLES, LEAROYD-SMITH, DANIELS and TSE, 2014). The study involved case study profiling to document a range of key issues discussed by teachers and students at each of these schools. These findings contribute to the development of a more holistic understanding of the ways in which design may contribute to processes of pedagogic transformation. We argue that spaces that are designed for specific approaches to teaching and learning may be transformed when these spaces are used in practice (DANIELS et al., 2017 in press). We have evidence that subsequent changes of leadership often involve further modification of the spaces and the practices of teaching and learning. In this paper we further suggest that these changes have significant consequences for the everyday experience of schooling as evidenced in the comments and actions of teachers and students. These issues are of particular importance at the moment. The National Audit Office (2017) has brought public attention to the parlous state of the school building estate. They point to three concerns: the condition of the school estate; the rising demand for school places and problems with delivering capital projects. It is clear that we need to learn from the experiences and outcomes of recent approacher to designing and building new schools. As the Department recognises, significantchallenges remain. The conditions of the school state is expected to worsen as buildings in poor, but not the worst, condition deteriorate further. Pupil numbers are continuing to grow and the demand for places is shifting to secondary schools, where places more complex and costly to provide. The Departmente, local authorities and schools will need to meet these challenges at a time when their capacity to deliver capital programmes is under growing pressure as revenue budgets become tighter. NAO (2017) p.12.