Toolkit Online

8/19/2019 Toolkit Online

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1. SCHOOL WORKS TOOLKIT

SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITSchool Works Tool Kit

Prepared by Jane Seymour with Hilary Cottam,Grace Comely, Barbara Annesley and Sanjiv Lingayah

Sponsored by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and theConstruction Industry Training Board


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3. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KIT

© School Works 2001Pages may be photocopied for

use by schools and non-commercial organisations

ISBN: 0-9541258-0-0

Published bySchool Works Ltd

The MezzanineElizabeth House39 York RoadLondon SE1 7NQTel 020 7401 5333Fax 020 7401 5331Email [email protected] www.school-works.org

Designed by PK+MB. LondonTel 020 7652 1086

Printed and bound byCrowes complete print

NorwichTel 01603 403349Photographs byPKMB to provide list

Coverimages.Front: left to right

Science Class. Rydal School. ColwynBay. ColwynFoulkes& Partners. Photo: NickHufton/ VIEW

Measurement workshop. George GreenSchool .Photo: MarcusRose

KoolhausBuilding. Photo: DRMM

Discussion. Kingsdale. Photo: MarcusRose

Jewish School. Berlin. Zvi Hecker. Photo: Hélène Binet

Back: left to right

View through one deskto another. LucyliaísOffice.Hong Kong. Photo: Tonkin

Workshop. Kingsdale. Photo: Marcus Rose

Jewish School. Berlin. Zvi Hecker. Photo: Hélène Binet

Conducting surveys. WaverleySchool.Photo: MarcusRose

Couch and Window. Softroom



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5. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KIT4. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KIT

School Works asks how we might build, renovateand use school buildings in ways which raiseeducational achievement and support a culture of lifelong learning in local communities.

It represents an innovative approach to theseissues, asking how the ‘hard’ infrastructure of school buildings can be linked to the ‘soft’infrastructure which surrounds them: patterns of use, perceptions of the built environment,motivation, culture and ethos. School Worksoperates by bringing together architects,educationalists and those who use schools everyday: participation is at the heart of the projectapproach.

After the war a new school was finished every daybetween 1950 and 1970, and over 50 per cent of architects were involved in public sector building.There was a vision of education for all.

Today, at the start of a new century, it is a verydifferent story. Our school children inhabit many of those same buildings, which are now found in adilapidated, uncared-for state. The best Britisharchitects are more likely to be found buildingrestaurants and private homes than schools.The educational agenda is radically different.

Whilst it might be hard to prove scientifically, we allknow that the environments we live and work inaffect us. A beautiful space can inspire and

motivate, an ugly one can depress – it becomes aplace we avoid. Why then do we not care more aboutthe state of our secondary schools? Within existingresources, School Works argues that it is possible toconstruct beautiful places where secondary schoolchildren feel cherished, important, able andencouraged to succeed.

School Works set out to explore these issues.Workshops were carried out in a number of schools to explore the connection between thebuilt environment, learning and the organisationof the school day. Working with students and staff we looked at a number of common recurringthemes: why are school toilets always in such astate; why don’t girls have a space to call theirown in the playground; what are the solutions tothe problems with lockers?

We also began to work at a deeper level,exploring the way the school building is itself ahidden form of curriculum. We asked why theschool day essentially still operates in themanner of the 19th century, presenting a rigidtimetable and spatial pressures at certain timesof the day and leaving important resourcesabandoned at other times and for long periodsduring the school holidays? Most importantly,we asked why decisions regarding capitalinvestment and the design of secondaryschools are so often taken without reference tothe wider educational agenda.

We published the findings of our work in a smallpamphlet and sent it to every secondary school inEngland. This was the beginning of a larger debate.The issues we were raising were those of concern tomany in the educational and design worlds. We wereallocated funding by the DfES to try out a differentapproach to school design with a partner school: our‘provocative project’ was born.

We chose Kingsdale School, Southwark, as ourpartner school. A large mixed, comprehensiveschool, 60 per cent of its students are eligible forfree school meals, 28 per cent are on the specialeducational needs register and 24 per cent comefrom homes where English is not the first language.At the start of the project, Kingsdale was on OFSTEDspecial measures and thus could not hope toreceive capital funding under the establishedregime. The school, constructed in the 1950s andonce beautiful, was however in a severe state of disrepair. The new headteacher asked how he couldturn around a school where many of the classroomswere not fit to teach in, where the disrepair of thetoilets encouraged truancy and where the generalstate of the environment at once mirrored andreinforced the low morale of students and staff.

With our interdisciplinary team which included thearchitects, an educational psychologist, educationalpolicy researcher, engineer, construction managerand performing artist, School Works developed athree-step process in partnership with Kingsdale

students, staff, parents and governors. The processitself added value, regenerating a belief in the futureof the school – just one important step in theschool’s success in coming off special measures in1999. The material and ideas produced ensured thatthe architects dRMM, chosen through the SchoolWorks competition, could produce designs of thehighest quality. We believe the success of theproject is reflected in the DfES’s decision to allocate£7.5 million to implement the designs andeducational proposals developed.

School Works was designed as a national initiativeand this toolkit shares our approach. We haveincluded practical guidance on the selection of architects, and the design and implementation of aparticipatory process. We believe our approach canbe adapted to suit the particular vision and scale of a building project in any school. We hope thatreading this handbook will inspire you to involveyour school community in making your school acherished place of educational excellence. SchoolWorks is still very much a work in progress and wewould love to hear your results. Please email us withany comments or queries on [email protected]

Hilary Cottam, Director

THE BACKGROUND TO SCHOOLWORKS AND THE KINGSDALEEXPERIENCE

Kingsdale Entrance. before. Photo: Paul Ratigan Kingsdale Entrance. after. Image: De Rijke Marsh Morgan


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Since 1997 the government has put in place anambitious schools capital programme to tacklethe backlog of repairs and under-investmentthat have built up over the past two decades.Education policy has continued to emphasiseraising standards while creating a new focus onlifelong learning. At the same time our changingsociety and workplaces are generating neweducational challenges to which secondaryschools must respond and adapt. Against thisbackground the School Works project was setup to respond to all these challenges by:

D Showing the links between design andeducation

D Producing beautiful schools which furtherlearning

D Working in new ways, with newpartnerships

The first part of this toolkit explains thethinking behind the School Works approach andwhat it has to offer. If you want to get startedon your par ticipatory process, you can movestraight to the second part: the tools to helpyou get your design project up and running.In the second part we discuss how to set up aparticipatory process step by step, from thequestions and focus your project might take tothe techniques you can use to get everyoneinvolved. We also refer to our practicalexperience at Kingsdale School. In the thirdpart, we explain how to select an architect andgive a broad outline of the processes involvedin implementing a building project. The fold-outinside front cover is designed to guide youthrough the handbook, and the inside backcover gives answers to some of the questionsyou might ask.

INTRODUCTION

VentanaVistaElementary School. interior. Tucson. Arizona. Photo: Timothy Hursley


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PART ONETHE SCHOOL WORKS APPROACH

The School Works approachhas five key elements:

1. Participation

2. Architecture

3. Education

4. Smart spending

5. A holistic vision

Corridor details. Science Museum. London. Photo: BenKelly Designand Micheal Mack.

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D Better decisions and outcomesStakeholders, that is all the people who use theschool (or have an interest in it), will be thebest source of knowledge and wisdom abouthow the current school systems and designwork. If this knowledge is gathered and used,better decisions will be made as to how theschool might be used or improved.

A participatory process creates “thinkingspace” for plans to be discussed thoroughlyand refined before adoption. Different ideascan be mulled over and returned to at differentstages of development.

D Additional skillsSchool staff and students will bring importantskills and resources to the process. Making themost of stakeholders’ skills is crucial if theproject is to fulfil people’s dreams andexpectations. Everyone will also gain newskills.

D Improved communication withoutside professionals

Working closely with the project’s stakeholdershelps the outside professionals, such as thearchitects and planners, to understand betterthe communities they are working for. It helpsthem to work more effectively and provide abetter result for the school.

D Faster development

If staff and students understand what optionsare realistically available, they are more likelyto take the project seriously and think

positively about it. Creating a design togethermeans that everyone has an interest in makingit work once implemented and in the future.The resulting consensus can make the processof implementation and construction progress

more quickly.

D Fit for purposeSchool Works aims to produce places teacherswant to teach in and which allow them to meetthe demands of the national curriculum. It isalso easier to tune and refine an environmentto cater for people’s changing requirements if they have been consulted thoroughly on theirneeds in the first place.

D Cultural changesIn schools which have used a participatoryapproach, student behaviour can improve and

an increasing sense of school pride hasdeveloped. Buildings are owned by the users,vandalism is reduced and maintenance costscan also be reduced. This increases theproject’s sustainability.

D Easier fundraisingAn increasing number of grant-makingorganisations look for evidence of stakeholderinvolvement in decision-making beforehanding out financial assistance. They knowthat participation will mean their money isspent more effectively.

D Better educationThe sum of all these benefits is to provide abetter learning environment to enable staff andstudents to achieve their potential.

Benefits of participationSchool Works and other participatory projects have shown the wide ranging,tangible benefits to be gained by involving people in shaping their localsurroundings. These benefits include:


Whether you are looking to initiate majorbuilding works or refurbish your storagesystems, School Works is all aboutparticipation: it involves the people who learnand work every day in your school in thedecisions that will affect the school buildingand its design and maintenance.

Participation differs to the more commonplaceconsultation approach. The initial ideas andissues are generated by the school community,as opposed to the community being asked fortheir reactions to a preconceived design oragenda. Be prepared to be surprised! Sharingaspirations gives people a sense of purpose,and working together in this way, agreeingpriorities and making progress, creates a senseof community. It is a democratic approach thatwill give the project credibility amongst usersand the wider community. This need not betime consuming or expensive but it will havebeneficial results for your school — results

which go beyond better design into the wholeway your school functions.

To make participation work, School Works hasdeveloped a simple three-step process that isdesigned to provoke debate, explore the issuesand build consensus on a design brief, andwhich is both educational and fun. In Part Twowe show you how the process can be set up,step by step.

1.1 PARTICIPATION

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School Works was designed as a par tnershipbetween educationalists, schools and designprofessionals. Participation is not just alearning process for those from the schoolcommunity. Design and educationprofessionals involved in the project arerequired to listen and to learn from those whouse the school, and to share, rather thanimpose, their expertise.

School Works acknowledges that resources forsecondary schools are limited but attention togood design and detail need not cost more andcan, in the long run, be more efficient andeffective, resulting in lower maintenance costs.For example, the choice of materials which areresistant to wear and tear, or the inclusion of simple design details can reduce utility bills.Equally importantly, good design provides aninspirational and comfortable environment thatcan result in more effective learning.

School Works believes that engaging anarchitect is an essential investment for anybuilding design project. They will ensure youget best value for your money, and they willfocus on beauty and inspiration as well asproviding a design that meets your school’sneeds. From small scale improvements to newconstruction, from Private Finance Initiatives totraditional building projects, good architectswill have the experience, imagination andcreativity to produce innovative solutions.

Engaging a good architect need not becomplicated: Section 3.1 shows you how.


1.2 DESIGN ANDTHE ROLE OFTHE ARCHITECT

Jewish School. Berlin. Zvi Hecker. Photos: Hélène Binet Details matter. Photos: l–r Richard Glover / Nick Hufton / Chris Gascoigne / VIEW

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Society is changing, as are our ideas abouteducation. This requires us to think differentlyabout the design of schools. Not only are manyof our schools run-down and depressing places,they also reflect and encourage a particularapproach to learning and an organisational ethoswhich is increasingly out of step with thecommunities which surround them.

In the world beyond the school gates, studentsare surrounded by modern technology thatenables them to access the images, sounds andtext that interest them, at their own pace. Theworkplace is also changing. Managementstructures are flatter, working arrangements aremore flexible, and there is a greater emphasison team work. The labour market is moredynamic and school leavers will need to be ableto adapt and change as new industries emergeand old ones fade away.

In addition, old family structures andinstitutions are breaking down, and new onesare emerging. People are increasinglyconcentrated in large urban areas. Society isincreasingly d iverse and individualised.Therefore, society’s demands on schools andour education system are shifting, fuelled bynew technologies and new ideas about lifelonglearning. Consequently, families, businessesand communities are already beginning to play

a new role in organising learning as the skillsand attributes people need to thrive change.

All these changes have important implications forschools. The organisation, approach and contentof learning all need to change if schools are toprepare students for the world of the 21st century.The curriculum needs to develop a different setof skills. Teachers need to continue to move fromsimply imparting knowledge towards facilitatinglearning. Schools need to be at the centre of ashift towards lifelong learning, by opening theirdoors to the whole community, including peopleof different ages from different cultures and withdifferent abilities, and by recognising thatlearning takes place in sites other than theclassroom, as well as improving their own sitesas centres of educational excellence.

School Works argues that the ways in whichschools are designed, procured and built mustevolve alongside changes in the content andprocess of schooling. The buildings we designtoday must both help and inspire teachers andstudents to meet their needs now and beadaptable for tomorrow. It also argues thatdesign alone will not solve all the problems in aschool, but that these changes must bedeveloped and implemented in tandem with‘soft’ interventions, tackling cultural,educational and organisational issues.


1.3 THEEDUCATIONALAGENDAkids learning

groupsdiscussion

aspirational

Science Class. Rydal School. ColwynBay. Colwyn Foulkes & Partners. Photo: NickHufton/ VIEW

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Smart spending is at the heart of the SchoolWorks project: the conviction that it is not only

what you spend, but how you spend. We arguethat details matter, that participation producesa better, more sustainable building and thatattention to design need not cost more. Morethan £7.8 billion is being made available toschools over three years for capital projects.To extract the full value from this investmenta new approach to spending is required.

Currently, the way that we approachinvestment in school building is not alwayssmart. We are often tempted – or compelled –to go for the least-cost option, when this maybe more expensive in the long term. People arerealising this and, as a result, the idea of costing capital projects on the basis of ‘lifetimecosts’ is growing in popularity. This involvestaking into account longer-term costs such asmaintenance, security, energy and flexibility tomeet changing needs. A building that costsmore in the short-term can save money over

the long-term. Similarly, the benefits of anattractive environment, while difficult to

quantify, are increasingly recognised.A beautiful place of work motivates studentsand teachers and thus encourages highereducational attainment.

Schools need to plan their construction work inpartnership with their LEA, based on theirauthorities’ Asset Management Plans (AMP)and the changing environment for publicspending. Under the Local Government Act1999, local authorities have a legal obligation toseek ‘best value’ in the way that they spendmoney and deliver services. ‘Best value’ meansmore than just ‘value for money’. It is alsoabout ensuring that services are responsive tothe needs of the community, that they areefficient, of high quality, and that they addressissues of equity and under-representation of minority groups. These considerations are allintegral to the idea of smart spending.

1.4 SMARTSPENDING


“The government is substantially increasing capitalspending. I am determined that this additional moneyshould be well-spent... The best designed schoolsencourage children to learn.”

Tony Blair, Prime Minister, speaking at Downing Streeton 4 October 2000

Corridor detail. Waverly School. Photo: Marcus Rose.

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Central to the School Works philosophy is theidea that building works cannot be undertaken

in isolation without considering theeducational, cultural and organisational needswithin a school. We therefore move fromeducational and management issues to designsolutions. The reasons for this are importantand the process is planned carefully.

First, this structure is designed to ensure thatthe longer-term vision of the school isdiscussed and held in place: design andmanagement solutions thus address andfurther this vision rather than solve or salveapparent and immediate issues which mighthave deeper, underlying causes. For example,does the school wish to raise overall standardsby specialising or developing a particular role inthe community? School Works assists in thedevelopment of a school vision which forms thebasis of the design process.

Second, historical experience teaches that gooddesign is important, but not sufficient for thecreation of a learning environment. The outputof School Works centres on a design brief created and owned by the school. The longer-term success of design initiatives also dependson the links that can be established to ‘soft’infrastructure within the school. Behaviourissues that are common to many schoolsprovide an example. Good design can

encourage positive behaviour patterns. Thesepositive behaviour patterns must, however, be

reinforced through changes in the culture andethos of the institution, using innovations suchas bullying councils and mentoring systems.

Third, most secondary schools are largeinstitutions: organisational and managementissues are paramount. Management structuresrequire matching design. For example, thedepartmentalised, decentralised school willrequire a different form of spatial planning to aschool whose structures are centralised. TheSchool Works process thus seeks to understandthe school’s strategic management vision.

To illustrate how these questions are linked andhow discussions can move from the ‘hard’design solutions to the ‘soft’ educational andmanagement change, the following Tabledetails some of the issues that were exploredat Kingsdale School. It shows how the SchoolWorks process enabled us to link these hardand soft changes, both to think about theproblems thrown up during discussions withstakeholders and to generate design andeducation, or management, solutions.The tablealso shows how we balanced short-term needswith the long-term vision of the school.


1.5 AHOLISTICVISION

Atrium. EricssonOffices. London. WingardhSandell Sandberg andAllies & Morrison. Photo: Dennis Gilbert /VIEW

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EXAMPLES OFSOFT AND HARDLINKAGES


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2


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PART TWOTHE TOOLS

There are 10 keyelements to the School

Works process.They are outlined inthis section.

2

24. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITStaircase. KensingtonRestaurant. London. Stiff& Trevillion. Photo: Chris Gascoigne / VIEW


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Deciding on your project remit is key toplanning the process and working out what

resources you will need in terms of both timeand money. The remit will develop as a result of discussions with your project team andstakeholders, but it is important to have aninitial idea of the scope of your project. Whatare you going to look at: a classroom? thetoilets? the whole school site? Are you talkingabout replacing the current facilities orrefurbishing them? Your Asset ManagementPlan will highlight some of the issues that youmight consider. Once you have determined thescale of the project you can start to think interms of the time it will take. You will need to

include time for planning and r eviewing eachstage as well as finding the right people to workon it—both within and outside the school.

You will probably also be considering wherefunding will come from and how much you are

likely to need. You can find possible sources of information on fundraising at the back of thishandbook. Bear in mind that it might bepossible to raise funds as a result of carryingout the participatory process itself.

Although the School Works process aims toinspire and generate creative solutions, berealistic about limitations on people’s time andthe money available. There may also beplanning and building regulations that restrictthe changes you can make. Recognising theselimits enables people’s expectations to be

managed accordingly.

2.1 DEFININGYOUR PROJECT

Kingsdale School had many problems with itsbuildings, from a lack of storage to narrowcorridors, from inadequate technological

resources to a lack of temperature control. As aresult the scope was defined as a completerefurbishment of the school buildings.

Existing central space. Kingsdale. Photo: Alex de Rijke

2.1

26. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITInterior. Auditorium. Rem Koolhas. Photo: Alex de Rijke


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2.2 DECIDING WHOTHE PROJECT WILLINCLUDE

The School Works process is designed to getthe views of all the people who have an interest

in your project: the stakeholders, in otherwords. The nature of this group will depend onthe scope of what you are doing. For a largeproject that tackles the whole schoolenvironment, the list is likely to include:

D Staff, both teaching and non-teaching, junior and senior staff

D Students, including those about to leavethe school

D Parents, including those who find it

difficult to get to the school

D School governors

D The local community, including those whohaven’t traditionally been involved withthe school

D It may also be useful to include your LocalAuthority, particularly if fundingassistance is required

For a smaller project, this list will be shorter —to refurbish a staff room the consultation will

focus on the teaching staff—but don’t forgetthat the more people involved, the more ideasand solutions will be generated, and the moreinclusive the result.

How your school plans to develop in the futureis important when considering the stakeholderswho will want to take part. If your school islooking to strengthen its performance facilities,you might want to include local ar ts groups ormusicians; if you want to upgrade the gym thelocal sports teams or instructors could beinvited to join in. Organisations within the

school, such as the School Council and theParent-Teachers Association, are resources tobe drawn on and should be invited formally toparticipate.

The Architecture FoundationRoadshow. Photos: Marcus Rose

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Use your imaginationYou can generate initial enthusiasm and ideasby setting up an Imagination Group. Let peopleknow you are looking at the design of yourschool. Ask for volunteers to come to awalkabout at the school to give their views of what they see. Try to get a mix of people with a

stake in the school: teachers, students, non-teaching staff, governors, parents and localpeople. You can have more than one group if there are a lot of volunteers. They will all have adifferent perspective of the building and itslayout. This exercise may also give you newcontacts who you would like to include on yourteam. (See section 2.3)

Idea boothsTo generate thoughts on specific issues, boothsmanned by imagination group members aresited at a few key points around the school.Students record their thoughts on, say,activities outside school—what would they bedoing if they weren’t at school, for example; or

aspects of the school that don’t work.


Advertisng Agency Offices. London. Softroom Treehouse projection. Softroom

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To create a team that can generate theparticipatory process you will need a group of

people with a mix of skills and viewpoints, anda balance between design and educationexpertise. The number in the team will varyaccording to the size of the project but thegroup will need to include a project champion, adesign professional and, if funds permit, afacilitator.

It is crucial that the whole team is committed tothe project and that it has the backing of and

access to the senior management team. Toensure that the team fully understands its roleit is important to set aside some time at thestart so that everyone recognises theirresponsibilities and appreciates the skills andknowledge of their colleagues.

2.3 CREATING APROJECT TEAM

2.3 An inclusive approachThe participatory process is intended to involveall members of the school community. Makingyour project inclusive will mean considering theneeds of students and staff with physical

disabilities, learning disabilities, emotional andbehavioural difficulties and languagedifficulties. Most of these students will be ableto participate in the wider process, but holdingspecial workshops with groups who haveparticular issues, and understanding theirfeelings, behaviour and needs, will help toidentify the implications for design. In additionto specific requirements, your work will need toconsider the location of special needs units andresources.

The stakeholders in the Kingsdale project werethe school staff—teaching and non-teaching—the students and the people who lived in thearea immediately around the school.


Roofterrace. George Green School. Photo: Marcus Rose

Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose

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Why include an architect or designprofessional?From the outset School Works included anarchitect in its team at Kingsdale School.School Works recognises that including anarchitect at an early stage of the project islikely to result in a design that is moreimaginative, that takes on board the needs of the stakeholders, that will work for them andwill come in on budget. Their knowledge of building regulations and planning law willensure that the design arrived at doesn’t comeinto conflict with regulators. They will alsoknow of other solutions that people have comeup with in similar situations and can feed theminto the process at an early stage, enablingthem to be discussed fully. Most importantly,their inspiration and innovation will help yourschool end up with a beautiful design.

The inclusion of design expertise is a keyaspect of the School Works approach. In PPPand PFI projects, LEAs need to involve thearchitects at the earliest possible stage. SeeSection 3.1, Selecting your architect.

BilliardHall.West Bromwich. Photo: Chris Morris Holloway Visitors Centre. Greenhill Jenner. Photo: RichardGlover

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What kind of peopleshould be on your team?Deciding who is to be on your school’s team iscrucial to the project’s success. Youroverarching aim should be to have anenthusiastic team that can work together.Although you need a mix of skills, don’t feel youhave to put a particular person on the team justbecause of their job title. Play to yourstrengths—you will know the individuals whoare full of energy, have great ideas or who arewell organised. These are the sort of people youwant to get on board. They might be one of theteachers or governors, a member of the Parent-Teachers Association, or a part-time member of staff. Local companies may be interested inseconding a member of staff to your project—your Education Business link Organisation maybe able to help you to identify companies thatare interested in working with local schools.

School Works has found that it is important toget a balance between those who haveexpertise in structural issues and those whoconcentrate on the social dimensions. This willensure that neither design nor educationalissues are forgotten.

You might also consider inviting a couple of students to join the team. They will helpreinforce the weight given to the students’opinions expressed during the participatoryprocess and give emphasis to students’ role asstakeholders.

Identifying one key person(project champion)To give a focus to the team and ground theparticipatory process in the school’s daily life,you will need to have a project champion withinthe school—someone who is prepared tocoordinate the project, help to plan workshopsand generate enthusiasm and momentum forthe process among staff and students. Theywill also be the main point of contact for theLocal Education Authority and those on theteam who work outside the school. The projectchampion should have access to the headteacher and senior management team asimportant decisions that could affect the futuredevelopment of the school will need to be takenduring the project.


Exterior. BIAD. Photo: Hawkins/Brown. Chris Morris IdeaStore. Image: Bisset Adams

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Roles and responsibilitiesSo what will you be asking of your team? Theywill have to take on board the main principles of the participatory process and want to make itwork—to understand that the involvement of all the stakeholders underpins the wholeproject. For a team to work, members have tohave trust in and respect each other, and awillingness to fully engage in and learn fromthe experience. There needs to be opennesswithin the team and an honesty about bothsuccess and failure.

In practical terms, the team will have to beprepared to commit to attending key meetings,work to deadlines, facilitate workshops andrealise that they all have a part to play in theproject. Members of staff will need to know thetime commitment you are expecting of themand whether this will be within their normalcontractual hours. As a consequence, eachteam member needs to understand the roles of their colleagues and recognise the differentpressures they are working under.

You might consider drawing up a team contractfor each member to sign. We have set out asample contract on the next page. Thisunderlines the commitment the individuals aremaking and encourages everyone involved totake the process seriously, as well as settingout the benefits they can expect. This givesanyone with doubts an opportunity to opt out—it is better to lose a team member at this stagethan rely on the rest of the team ‘carrying’them.


2.3

Finding a facilitatorIf you have some funding it is well worthconsidering bringing in a facilitator from outsidethe school to at least help you plan and initiatethe process. This is because, with some issues,staff are more likely to be open with someonethey do not know, rather than, say, one of theirsenior managers. In some circumstances afacilitator will need to negotiate with thedifferent stakeholders to help them reach aconsensus, to be a broker. Again, this is easierfor someone who, because they are fromoutside the school, is seen as neutral and willhave experience in such a role.

The New Economics Foundation can help youfind a suitable facilitator. See the back of thehandbook for contacts.


Qualities needed in a facilitator

D Listens carefully to others

D Keeps an open mind

D Makes a real effort tounderstand the point of view of those who disagree

D Can keep the discussion on

track and on time

D Asks questions if anotherperson seems to be unclear

D Speaks his or her mindfreely, but gives everybodyelse a chance to speak, too

D Recognises that everyonehas something important tosay

Adapted from: The StudyResources Centre, Connecticut,USA

The Architecture FoundationRoadshow. Photo: Marcus Rose

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Team buildingIt’s good to get your team together right at thestart so that everyone appreciates what theproject is all about and gets to know their fellowteam members: go out for a long lunchtogether, say, or an evening drink. Even if yourproject is small, it is important to ensure thatthe team members set aside a suitable amountof time at the outset, free from otherdistractions, to plan the process andunderstand their roles and responsibilities.

During this time, the purpose of the project andthe values underpinning it need to be explored.This process will highlight the projectparameters and produce ideas and issues thatcan be returned to at later stages. At the sametime, the team will grow to understand eachother’s perspectives and appreciate what eachbrings to the process. Ideas of the sorts of questions you might consider together areoutlined in the next section.

At Kingsdale, the core team included anengineer, an educational psychologist, aperformance artist, a construction manager, anartist, an education policy adviser and anarchitect, plus staff from within the school. Thestaff team members included teachers from arange of departments, including art and maths,sciences and English. There were alsorepresentatives of the senior managementteam.

The core team took a couple of days away fromthe school. After a‘getting-to-know-you’ dinneron the first evening, the team explored thevalues of the project and what it hoped toachieve on the first day, and planned theproject on the second.


For any group embarking on a project fromwithin an organisation, there is sometimes thefeeling that people coming in from outside willnot appreciate the problems those within itface—that they won’t be able to offer usefulsuggestions. In fact, ‘outsiders’º can bringspecialist knowledge to the team that is unlikelyto be within stakeholders’ usual experience and

are more likely to be able to throw ideas into themix that might not have otherwise beenconsidered by those within the organisation. At

the same time those working in the school willhave the inside knowledge to help those new tothe environment understand what is neededand what will work.

Bringing outside professionals into your school,and allowing them to work closely with thestudents, can also give students an opportunity

to broaden their understanding of differentcareers available to them when they leaveschool, leading to a raising of aspirations.

An outside view

2.3


I am:

Willing and able to take part indeveloping the process and itsactivities;

Willing to engage in the processand learn from the experienceof my fellow team members;

Respectful of the knowledgeand expertise of both teachingand non-teaching staff withinthe school and any outsideprofessionals engaged on theproject;

Committed to maintaining theconfidentiality of individualswho wish their input to beanonymous.

I am responsible for:

Participating fully in theprocess in a democratic way,as an equal with otherparticipants;

Encouraging the participationof other stakeholders andlistening to their views;

Carrying out my work in aprofessional manner, inconsultation with my teamcolleagues and the school;

Raising any issues of concernwith fellow team members.

As a team member, I will basemy actions on:

D Mutual trust and respect

D Willingness to engage andlearn from the process

D Openness and honesty

D Cooperation and sharing of information

Team contractThe participatory process and resultant findings form the core of the School Worksprocess. It is crucial to the success of the p roject that all members of the core teamunderstand their roles and responsibilities. Therefore, we are asking you to sign upto the principles outlined here.

Signed: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date: . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.3


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The School Works process is designed togenerate wide-ranging discussion in its initial

stages. Issues of identity, of belonging to theschool community, of safety and security, areall themes you might choose to focus on. Atfirst glance, these might seem nebulous interms of school design. But once you start toexplore how these issues affect the way peoplefeel about the school and how they impact ontheir ownership of it, ideas will start to flow onhow you can improve the school design tomake your vision a reality.

Considering broad issues and then findingdesign, educational and management solutions,

will move the debate logically from defining theproblem through finding holistic solutions.

2.4 THINKINGABOUT YOURQUESTIONS

2.4

38. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITLightwall. Interior detail. Photo: Alex deRijke


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Include considerationsof future revenueIn thinking about the schoolvision, you might also start toconsider new sources of income that could begenerated for the school—through different communitygroups using particularfacilities, for instance. This inturn might affect thefeasibility of fundingsubsequent design solutions.(See the useful contactssection for information on

fundraising.)

Are sustainableThe School Works process actsas a catalyst and is relativelyshort-term in itself. However,the enthusiasm generated canbe sustained if the frameworkto take issues forward is putin place before the processconcludes. Student, staff andparent teams can be createdto take on the full range of

issues that have beenidentified as pertinent tothese groups. These are likelyto range wider than the

building itself but may identifyprojects and plans that will

also add to the school’sincome stream.

And finally...

Make sure you dreamRegardless of the issuesstakeholders decide to focuson, the aim of the activitiesshould be to revealparticipants’ aspirations andcreativity to drive the projectforward. By encouraging

people to use theirimagination and think aboutwhat they might achieve, thedesign is more likely to standthe test of time.

Look beneaththe surfaceMany schools have a problemwith their corridors. Narrowcorridors can hinder efficientmovement around the school,leading to disruptivebehaviour and studentsarriving at lessons late,disorganised and overexcited.When the issue was exploredin depth at Kingsdale thediscussion moved swiftlyfrom proposals to widen thecorridors to the organisation

of the school day and themanagement of the schoolcurriculum. Stakeholders soonrecognised that design alonewould not solve the problembut needed to be combinedwith a review of how staff andstudents used the corridorsand when.

2.4

Before you start to develop the workshops that drive theparticipatory process forward, you will need to discussfundamental issues with your team. Both your discussions andthose within the workshops should include questions that:


Are wide in scopeRather than considering

problems that areimmediately apparent to you,try to look at them from themanagement and culturalstandpoint that you havedefined within your schoolvision. For example, an issuewith windows might lead to adiscussion about ‘seeing andbeing seen’ within a school.

Include a focus oneducationEducation issues mightinclude the school timetableand organisation of the schoolday, future curriculumdevelopments and discipline,areas the school might feelneed particular attention or itwishes to strengthen.

Include a focus ondesignDesign discussions mightinclude a focus on issuessuch as colour, texture,furnishings and acoustics. Tryalso to reach the less tangibleissues that are related to how

people feel about a particularspace. These will include

whether they feel they belong,or whether it makes themfeel calm and able to work,for example.

Link design issues toquestions of purposeExploring how an area is used,who has access to it and howit is maintained can paydividends in ensuring you areworking on the right issues.Assuming you are looking for

a design solution alone canmean people lose sight of what you are trying toachieve.

Take account of management andorganisationalimplicationsThe management of theschool can be helped orhindered by its design and theorganisation that reinforces it.A highly centralised schoolwill be helped if its structurereinforces communicationlines towards the head and

senior management team. Aschool where much of the day-

to-day management isfocused on departments willneed provision fordecentralised administrativesupport to be provided foreach department, while thecommunication within thedepartments will need to bereinforced. All this hasimplications forcommunication technologyand the way theadministration is

organised.Therefore, theseissues need to be drawn outduring the participatoryprocess.

Include considerationsof school maintenanceThe school’s design will alsohave long-term implicationson ease and cost of maintenance. When looking tothe future you need to thinkabout these issues as they

will have an effect in terms of staffing and funding.

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School Works uses a three-step participatoryprocess to

D Provoke debate

D Explore the issues

D Build consensus

The process is moved along through a series of meetings and workshops—techniques andoutlines for which are described in the nextsection. The three steps allow for a wide-ranging debate at the start of the process andensure that there is tighter focus in the later

stages. You will need to develop a timetablearound these steps, allowing sufficient timebetween them to feed back to participants andensure that each step is based on the results of the previous one.


2.5 PLANNINGYOUR PARTICIPATORYPROJECT

2.5

42. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KIT Auditorium. Number shadow onBroadway Cinema. Hong Kong. Photo: Tonkin


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The final stage involves bringing the teamback together to agree on their findings and

recommendations. By the time you reach thispoint, a range of information and ideas aboutthe school and stakeholders’ views will havebeen collected. These points need to berevisited and discussed as a consensus isbuilt around solutions and priorities. Finally,a design brief that is fully owned by theschool will be approved.

Step 3:Building consensus

2.5

The first job is to agree the issues yourschool’s project will look at. Whoever

instigates the project usually has some ideaof what she or he wants to focus on but youneed to find out whether everyone sharesthose priorities. It is important to leteveryone air their views and list their ownpriorities. This ensures that all aspects of theproblem or area of the school you areaddressing will be explored and that all thestakeholders feel an ownership of theprocess.

At the end of this step, you will haveprioritised a list of issues to explore in Step 2.

Step 2 should then be designed.

This step involves looking more closely at theissues that have surfaced in Step 1 and

taking the debates to a deeper level. Asdiscussions progress, the emphasis willmove away from discussions about theproblems towards an emphasis on creativesolutions. During this stage of in-depthexploration, the work may be carried forwardby smaller groups or task teams. The outlineof the design brief will also start to cometogether as the process provokes ideas andparticipants start to think more deeply aboutsolutions.


Step 1:Provoking debate

l-r. Discussion. Kingsdale School. Brokenwindow. Kingsdale School. Workshop. Kingsdale School. Student workshop. Kingsdale School. Photos: Marcus Rose

Step 2:Exploring the issues

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How the 3 steps fit together

2.5

46. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITPost its. Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose


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Issues to consider whenplanning your timetable

D Are you clear about the scope of your project—have you got clearobjectives for the workshops andclarified the sorts of issues youwant to cover? (Objectives forworkshops after Step 1 may alteraccording to the results of theprevious step’s discussions.)

D Have you allowed enough timefor everyone to prepare theirworkshops?

D Have you allowed enough time towrite up workshop findings andfeed back to participantsbetween stages?

D Have you allowed time todevelop workshopsbetweensteps, based on the findings of the previous workshops?

D Will your timetable allow forparticipation of all thestakeholders?

D Is your timetable designed toallow the core team time to meettheir other work commitments?

D Does your timetable meet therequirements of your funders(if applicable)?

D Does your timetable take theissues through the three steps toreach consensus?

Step 1: 2 days

One-day staff workshop exploringpeople’s feelings about working atKingsdale, images of school staff, theimpact of the physical environment ontheir work and how the school mightdevelop in future.

Two-day student workshop exploringwhat it is like to be a student atKingsdale, people’s favourite and least

favourite places in the school, theirfeelings about the school and what theymight change if they had the chance.

Review and feedback

Step 2: 5 weeks

Workshop programme for allstakeholders. Students explored issuesof storage, technology resources,behaviour, belonging and difference.Staff looked at stress, and organisationaland management issues. Local residentsdiscussed communications with theschool, and what they wanted from andcould offer the school. All the workshopsincorporated discussions on both the

way the school’s physical structure couldhelp solve the problems and theorganisational change that would need totake place for solutions to work.

Review and feedback

Step 3: 2–3 weeks

Meeting of team to agree conclusionsand design and policy recommendations.

Review and feedback

Some of the workshops at Kingsdale aredetailed in Section 2.8.

The Kingsdale Timetable

2.5

Devising the process timetableYour team needs to draw up a timetable based

around the three steps. Each step will have itsown workshop programme, during which thethemes the team has identified as important tothe project are covered. Basing the process onthe three steps of provoking debate, exploringthe issues and building consensus will give youa logical structure around which to askquestions and generate solutions.

For a small project, such as refurbishing aclassroom, you might be talking about runningthe whole process over a matter of hours. Forthe redesign of a whole school, three months is

more realistic. The timetable will also dependon how concentrated you can make theprocess. For example, if you are running it inthe latter part of the summer term, it will beeasier to focus the whole school on the projectthan if some year groups are revising forexams.

Feedback sessionsIt is important to ensure that you organise

regular feedback sessions after each stage of the process. This creates a sense of projectownership and enthuses participants about thenext stage. Feedback should take place in aquick and informal manner at the end of eachworkshop. This could take the form of a plenarysession, a music or dramatic performance or awebsite, for example.

After each workshop ask yourself whetherevery viewpoint that has been covered isincluded in the summary. If par ticular groups(for example, a year group or sections of staff)

have dropped out, ask yourselves and themwhy. Are you still on track? You will also needsessions for feedback and discussion amongstyour project team between the workshops andbetween the three steps of the process (seethe Kingsdale Timetable for an example).

Later on, you may also want to evaluate yourproject, that is, decide whether it did what youwanted it to do. Measuring and monitoringtechniques are detailed in 2.10 and, if you aregoing to evaluate your project, the team needsto be introduced to them now.


School bell. Waverley School. Photo: Marcus Rose

2.5


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School Works has developed and borrowed aseries of techniques for getting students, staff,

parents and the community involved in theissue of school design. There are no hard andfast rules and we are sure you will want todevelop your own techniques. However, the aimof this section is to give you ideas andexamples to work with. They will enable you togenerate your own participatory programmewith exercises that are relevant to the issuesyou have chosen to explore, and should bechosen to fit in with the three steps so thatthey move the discussions forward to producea design brief.

In Section 2.7 we will show you how thesetechniques can be combined to create

complete workshops, and in Section 2.8 wegive examples of workshops that we used atKingsdale.

Whichever exercises you choose, rememberthat:

D Workshop discussions are at least asimportant as the workshop activity—makesure you have a record of them

D Try to ensure that you choose a mix of exercises that will help you meet the

objectives of the workshop and aresuitable for the participants

D Agree consensus on the findings withparticipants before the close of eachworkshop

2.6 TECHNIQUES,EXERCISES ANDWORKSHOPS

2.6

50. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITStationery holder. Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose


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These exercises are designed to encourageeveryone to relax and focus on the workshop.Even if the group has worked together before,it is still useful to take some minutes at thestart to bring everyone together again and movetheir thoughts away from their previous work.

Some of these exercises are also suitable forgenerating discussion on particular themes.Word games can be themed to encouragepeople to respond to a particular space forexample, or the guided relaxation warm-up can

lead into a discussion of organisational sourcesof stress.

They are also good for provoking ideas bygiving participants ‘permission’ to stretch theirimaginations. Both students and adults can feeluncomfortable in the sudden freedom of aworkshop and need some encouragement tothink outside the restrictions imposed by theirdaily routines.


WARM-UPEXERCISES

2.6

52. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITWarmup. Kingsdale school. Photo: Marcus Rose

WARM-UP


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Word ping-pongThe group is split into pairs

and takes turns to throw outone word that describes theirweek so far—it can describetheir feelings or refer to anexperience. The effect is aword ping-pong which movesfast until the time is up—canrun for up to five minutes.

Guided relaxationThe facilitator talks

participants through arelaxation exercise. Theneveryone stands up andstretches, and each person inturn shares their observationson the most tense area in heror his body.

Colour powerThe facilitator introduces the

group to the impact colour hason people and encouragesthem to think of a colour thatdescribes their week so far.They take turns to share theirchosen colour and thoughtsand feelings associated with it.

Student workshop. Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose

2.6


Word associationExplain that you will be going

round the group asking fortheir one-word reaction to sixwords that you will shout outloud. Clapping at the sametime keeps the reactions fastand makes it more fun.Words you could use include:corridors, staffroom, gym,classroom, dining hall,computers. You can changethem according to thestakeholders involved.

PostcardsGive postcards to each

member of the group. Getthem to write one positive andone negative aspect of theschool on each side of thepostcard. Then go round thegroup, giving each person oneminute (use an egg timer) totalk about their negativechoice and then round again,concentrating on the positive.

Team buildingStart off with a ‘getting-to-

know-you’ session. Eachmember of the process teamshould makes a 15-minutepresentation about their workand professionaldevelopment, and what theyare bringing to the group. Thelength of the session willdepend on the size of theteam. By the end of thesession each participantshould understand what skillsand knowledge their fellow

team members are bringing tothe project and understandtheir own place in thecollaboration.

WARM-UPEXERCISES

STEP1 2 3

AGE ALL

SUBJECTCROSS CURRICULAR KEY SKILLS

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RANKINGEXERCISES

Throughout the participatory processparticipants will be raising problems and

coming up with ideas to solve them. To give youan idea of what priority participants put onthese responses, you might carry out somesort of ranking exercise. These sorts of exercises are useful tools for all three steps of the process and can be used in conjunctionwith other exercises.

2.6

56. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITMakeover at school. Waverley School. Photo: Marcus Rose

RANKING


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Keeping scoreDivide the participants into groups of four or

five. List the options the workshop needs torank—they could be the different materials fora new school roof, say, or features for astaffroom redesign. Each group then considersthe criteria they would like to fulfil in order tohave their ideal roof, say, until they have a listof between 10 and 20 criteria. For a roof thesemight include keeping out rain, blending in withneighbouring roofs, reducing noise, and so on.The workshop facilitator then asks participantsto draw up a matrix with the options across thetop and the criteria down the side. To rank theoptions, each group goes through the criteria

and decides how well each is fulfilled by eachoption. To do this, participants could use asequence of questions: ‘which is best?’ ‘whichis second best?’ ‘which is worst? and so on. Toscore the options, the groups allocate a numberfrom 1-10 according to how well each optionmeets a particular criterion. If you wish to focusthe discussion further, the groups should beasked which option they would choose if theywere only allowed one.

Taken from: Participatory Learning and Action, IIED 1995

The Architecture FoundationRoadshow. Photo: Marcus Rose

2.6


Picking preferencesDivide the participants into groups of three or

four. The facilitator asks them to nominate aninterviewer, recorder and informant in eachgroup. Depending on the theme of theworkshop, pick up to six options—colouroptions, or materials, for example, or differentpossible timings for the lunch break. Thegroups then draw up a matrix with each optionlisted along the top and bottom so each squarein the matrix represents a pair. The informant isasked by the interviewer(s) which option he orshe prefers out of each pair. It helps to keep theinformant thinking if the interviewer movesaround the matrix rather than goes straight

down each column. Then the interviewer asksabout the informant’s reasons for each choice—asking what makes one option preferableto another. The recorder should record all thechoices and then reasons for the choices.Once all the possible combinations areexhausted, the group uses this information torank each option from most preferred to least,listing the favourable and unfavourable criteriaby each option. The whole exercise takes up toan hour, depending on the number of optionsbeing ranked.

This example shows that wood was theinformant’s preferred material, and steel washis least favourite material.

EXERCISES

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ACTIVE AUDITSAND SURVEYS

School Works has worked with students in anumber of schools to produce active audits.

These range from simple surveys thatencourage students to start thinking abouttheir sense of place, to surveys that considerthe problems of particular spaces in the school(such as the corridors, toilets or playground), tomore complex audits of existing resources thatinclude both the physical resource and people’saccess to it.

Active audits can form the basis of one-off exercises or they can be incorporated into thestructure of the Step 2 in-depth workshops(such as in the locker workshops example

given later in section 2.8).Students can answer simple questions asindividuals or as groups, either in writing orby choosing or generating images. The auditscan be easily adapted to suit different areasof the curriculum.

STEP1

AGE ALL

SUBJECTPSHE, Geography

Active audit, George GreenSchool. Photo: Marcus Rose

2.6

60. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITConducting surveys. Waverley School. Photo: Marcus Rose

ACTIVE AUDITS


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The NewsroomSet up a “newsroom” to gather data. Students

interview each other about the school in pairsor in larger groups, depending on the number of participants. Interviews are pooled andparticipants then need to vote on “the mainstory”, that is, the priorities that come out of the interviews—you could use a rankingexercise to give priorities if you have enoughtime. These can then be written up in the styleof a news story and illustrated to form the frontpage of a newspaper.

Lighting AuditUsing different lights to explore what effect

lighting can have on particular areas of theschool can help focus people’s thoughts on aproblem area and promote discussion ontheir feelings about a place. Using fairy lightscan mark boundaries while different colouredslides can change the feel of a place withoutpainting it.

Audit of the sensesNoise: What can you hear? Is it a noise from

inside or outside the school? How does it makeyou feel—does it annoy you, let you knowwhere you are? Is it a good space for quietstudy, for a whole class, for group work?Smell: What can you smell? What does itremind you of? Is it always there?Touch: How does it feel? What is it made of?Does it make you feel cold/hot?These explorations can also be developed into amapping exercise by using icons to illustratedifferent smells or sounds in different places inthe school.

STEP1

AGE ALL

SUBJECTEnglish

STEP1

AGEKS3

SUBJECTScience

STEP1

AGEKS3

SUBJECTScience, Art, Geography

2.6

Favourite placesD What places do you like in the world?D

What places do you like in the school?D What places do you dislike in the school?D How do you find the things and places you

like?

General discussions can lead on to specificdiscussions about problem places. Forexample:

The PlaygroundD Describe the playgroundD What did you do there today?D What do you do there when it is very

sunny? What do you do there when it israining?

D How does it make you feel?D How would you change it?The ideas generated can then be prioritised withranking exercises.

AccessD Choose the place in the school you are most

comfortable inD Describe why this isD Which parts of the school can you use and

which parts can you not?D How do you know this?D What are the signs?D Describe the invisible boundaries


AND SURVEYS

STEP1

AGE ALL


STEP1

AGE ALL


STEP1

AGE ALL

SUBJECTPSHE

2.6

MAPS AND


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MAPS ANDMEASURES

How students and staff feel about particularplaces in the school has an effect on their

general sense of well-being, enjoyment of theirwork and their ability to perform. Places thatappear in one way to the visitor may give rise toquite different feelings in those who workthere. Certain places may give rise to forms of behaviour that are considered antisocial or,conversely, forms of behaviour thatparticipants would like to extend to other partsof the school. Other places may just feelunwelcoming or threatening. Many of theseexercises encourage stakeholders to exploretheir feelings about the school.

2.6

64. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITMeasurement workshop. George GreenSchool. Photo: Marcus Rose

MAPPINGEXERCISES


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Time in spaceTo consider the structure of the school day, draw out atimeline in a corridor or othercommon space. Studentsmark what they would like tobe doing at par ticular timesand for what period of time.Discussion might then focuson why the school day isstructured in a particular way,what changes could be madeto this structure or how thedesign of the school links tothe timetable.

InvestigatingorganisationThe way the school isorganised has a big impact onhow people relate to the schooland their sense of belonging.To find out how participantssee themselves in relation tothe rest of the schoolcommunity, ask small groupsto produce a Venn diagramdemonstrating how they seethe organisation of the school.Circles of different sizesrepresent different years,departments, key staff and soon. The circles then overlapaccording to the degree of contact they have with othergroups in the school. A group iscontained in the circle if theyare a sub-set of a particulargroup. Once the groups havecompleted their diagrams—give them around 30 minutesto do so—ask them to explainthem. Use the explanations asa springboard to discussionson how and why the school isorganised in this way and howit might be changed.Adapted from Participatory Learningand Action, IIED, 1995

Stress levelsTo explore how students feelwhen they are in school andout, get them to measure theirlevels of stress. This can bedone qualitatively by keepingdiaries and mood charts; andquantitatively by recordingheartbeat and bodytemperature.

STEP2

AGEKS4

SUBJECTPHSE, History

STEP2

AGEKS4

SUBJECTScience

STEP2

AGEKS4

SUBJECTMaths

2.6

Social mappingStudents draw “their” map of the school, keying in areasthey use and what they meanto them. For example, they canuse different colours to showwhere they meet their friends,where they go to study quietlyor areas they prefer to avoid.Music or poems could bewritten to represent differentareas of the school.

The ideal staffroomParticipants are asked to mapthe current staffroom andidentify the objects or areasthat hinder the users’ qualityof life. The group is then askedto map an ideal version andsuggest how it would improveteachers’ relationships withtheir colleagues, students andso on.

Pointing the wayThe group are asked to markthe routes they use on a mapof the school. Is their route thebest route for visitors? Thegroup should then be asked toagree a good route for visitors.Participants can then designsigns to indicate the route—symbols or icons canrepresent the differentactivities that take place indifferent areas of the school.


EXERCISES

Workshops. Kingsdale School. Photos: Marcus Rose

STEP2

AGEKS3

SUBJECT Art, Sociology, Geography

STEP2

AGEStaff

STEP2

AGEKS4

SUBJECTDesign

2.6

ART AND


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ART ANDPERFORMANCEWORK


One of the driving forces behind School Worksis to generate innovation in school design.

Art can be used to explore design ideas inseveral ways. Techniques such as collage freethe imagination and enable workshopparticipants to explore different themes. Usingthe hard output of the workshops insubsequent designs gives participants a senseof ownership of the spaces where it is used.This can range from the design of signs, tomurals, or sculpture for the school grounds.Using the output in this way does, however,need careful collaboration and agreementbetween the artists involved and the architect.

Art, including fine art and performance work,can also be used to explore the issues at theheart of School Works: such as school identity,and developing a sense of belonging and pridein the school. In other words, what sorts of spaces are needed to enable a school to

function in a particular way? Ar t projectsprovide a forum for the expression of feelings

associated with the school. These themes canthen be discussed and developed in order toisolate the contributory physical factors andpossible solutions. For example, a welcomingarea at the entrance to the school encouragesvisitors to feel relaxed, while a well-designedstaffroom reflects the value put on teachingstaff.

Teachers from your arts department mightco-ordinate this work, or find ar tists andperformance artists who are used to working inthis way. See the useful contacts section at the

back of this handbook.

Making collages, Kingsdale School, Photo: Marcus Rose

2.6

68.SCHOOL

WORKS TOOL KITMural. Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose


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2.6

70. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITPerformance workshops. Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose

2.6


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Student collages. Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose

Creative writingThe writing process can both generate ideasand aspirations while producing an outputthat acts as a record of the workshops. It alsogenerates material that might even beincorporated into the fabric of the buildingor the life of the school, such as mottoes orschool anthems.

Using poetryIntroduce some contemporary poems chosento reflect the age group of participants. Usethemes to generate discussion on the theme of the workshop, such as school pride, a sense of belonging, attitudes to learning and so on.

STEP2

AGE All SUBJECTEnglish, Drama

STEP2

AGE All

SUBJECTEnglish

2.6


CollagesMaking collages is a particularly usefultechnique. Students start to loosen theboundaries on their imagination and presentthe results more easily in pictorial form.Providing plans of the school or photographs of specific areas enables students both to dreamand to map their dreams back onto a canvas of reality. Supply students with maps orrepresentations of the school and magazinesand glue and ask them to get going!

Making a welcomeFocus your activities on making the schoolentrance welcoming. Produce banners/asculpture/a display of welcoming poems/amontage of photos showing the school’sactivities to introduce guests to the school.Discuss with participants how these ideasmight be used to make your school a morewelcoming place on a permanent basis.

STEP2

AGEKS3

SUBJECT Art

STEP2

AGEKS3/KS4

SUBJECTEnglish, Art

2.6

FOCUS


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Focus groups are a good way of exploringstakeholders’ views and why they hold

particular opinions. As well as being, ineffect, a group interview, they also aim touse the interaction between people togenerate responses—in other words,participants are encouraged to talk to andchallenge each other rather than simplyresponding to the facilitator’s questions.Focus groups are also a good way of getting views from people who don’t wantto be interviewed individually or haveproblems reading and writing.

Groups can be composed of either people

with similar experience, in order to exploretheir views in depth, or of differentbackgrounds to generate discussion moreeasily. Trying to get a mix of people inwhatever group you want to talk to isimportant. A self-selected group may havestrong views but they won’t necessarilyrepresent all the people you want to hearfrom. The ideal group size is between fourand eight people but you might want tomake the group bigger if it is not practicalto hold a series of sessions or issuepersonal invites. Sessions can last a couple

of hours or extend into half a day or a seriesof gatherings.

When organising a focus group, try toensure you have a comfortable, yet private,

space to work in so that everyone feelssecure and is not distracted by passers-by.Discussion is best generated through open-ended questions, but to get people talking,you might want to use group exercisessuch as asking for responses to a series of statements. As with other School Worksexercises, the discussion generated is atleast as important as the immediateresponse. You should expect views to shiftand change during the discussions—this isan important part of the process. Againyou will need to make sure that your

meeting is recorded in some way.When you look at the record of yourmeeting, it is useful to start by drawingtogether any themes that emerge fromwhat people are saying. However, do not just disregard an isolated viewpoint—aperson might represent a significantminority and their needs should be takeninto account. It can also be useful to givepeople an opportunity after the meeting toadd to what they have said, either verballyor in writing. This can help elicit minority

views that people may feel uncomfortableexpressing within the group.

FOCUSGROUPS

Workshop, Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose

STEP1 2 3

AGE All

SUBJECT All

2.6


What is a school?

A school is a gift

to whom you’ll show great caretogether with the pupilsa school for you to share.A loving caring schoolyou’ll know it’s bound to beconsiderate and kindto all the family.It will come and cheer you upwhen you’re feeling blueand even when it’s busyit’ll make some time for you.It’ll tell you of its hopes and dreamsthis makes you feel so nicethe way it trusts and asks youto give you some advice.Sometimes in its early yearsit’ll be a little wildbut that is only naturalit’s the product of your child.You’ll always love this schoolno matter what it’ll doit’s always there within your heartbecause it’s part of you.

Year 7 student, Kingsdale School

2.6

2.7 DESIGNING AFOCUSGROUPS


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The exercises and techniques detailed inthe previous section can be combined to

form workshop programmes. The workshopdesigns will vary depending on the skillsand approach of the facilitators involvedand the group of stakeholders they areworking with.

It is important to ensure that any workshophas time set aside at the start forparticipants to ask questions and for thefacilitator to ensure that everyoneunderstands the workshop’s aims and whatis expected of them. This applies to adultsas well as students—adults can feel

intimidated by a new process or activity asmuch as students, especially if they are inan unfamiliar group.

Whichever activities you decide to do, it’simportant to remember that the debate

generated is at least as important as theproduct of the activity—such as a collageor poem. The techniques should be viewedas ways to promote thinking along differentlines, to encourage people to generateideas outside the limits of daily school life.The exercises are designed to break downbarriers, to encourage people to be open toeach other and new ideas, and to talkeasily. This makes it more likely thatinspiring solutions will be found.

2.7 DESIGNING AWORKSHOP

2.7


Looking at the buildingTo explore teachers’ feelings about the

school buildings in a focus group,questions could include:

D Do the teaching spaces currently helpor hinder teachers and learners in theirdrive towards educational targets?

D How are issues of student and staff identity and self-esteem currentlyaffected by the built environment?

D How could this be enhanced as part of the construction programme?

D Is the school energy-efficient?

D Is it a priority to provide communityuse of facilities, either as a communityservice or as a means of generatingincome?

D How could the site accommodateemerging needs?

STEP2 3

AGEStaff

SUBJECT

Discussion. Kingsdale School. Photo: Marcus Rose

2.6

KEEPING


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It is important that you make sure all theinformation you gather as part of theparticipatory process is recorded in some way.In some workshops, where you have carriedout mapping for example, the tangible outputwill in itself form part of the workshop record.But in all workshops you will need to makeaudio, video or written records of whathappened. If you don’t do this useful ideas willbe lost and you won’t have the information toreturn to and reflect on later in the process.Don’t forget to explain to participants why youwant to record the session and ensure they arehappy with this.

For each workshop you should consider makingone person responsible for recording theoutput and another person responsible forfacilitating it. Taping and transcribing sessionswill ensure that you don’t miss any points, butthis is time consuming and expensive. If tapingis not possible you need an efficient note-takerin place.

GRECORDS

Be aware of the impact that different ages,cultures and gender can have on a workshop.For example, girls and boys often have differentperceptions. A good gender balance willgenerate views from both boys and girls,

improving the validity of the workshop’sfindings. If the balance is skewed to either girls

or boys, difficult dynamics can hinder theworkshop process. Sometimes it can be easierto hold workshops with different age groups toensure the younger participants aren’tintimidated by older students. It may also be

necessary to deal with issues of race ordifference that surface during the process.

2.7

78. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KITDinner Ladies. Tower Hamlets. Photo: Marcus Rose 79. SCHOOL WORKS TOOLKIT

4TH DRAFT

WORKSHOPTEMPLATE

Each workshop needs to have a templatedrawn up to give participants an idea of the

d h t i t d f th


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2.7

Rear Garden. LohmanHouse. Munster. Germany. Photo: Peter Cook/ VIEW

Before starting a workshopmake sure you know: Think about:

The workshop title An imaginative name will help to generate an imaginative response.

The objective Why you are doing this and what questions are you trying to address?Don’t try to cover too many issues in a single workshop!

Workshop outline Summarise what you will be doing over the course of the workshopin a couple of paragraphs.

Participants Which group of stakeholders is involved? How many?Make sure they are invited and know why they are there.

Group work Will you divide the par ticipants into groups? How?

Timetable How many sessions? For how long and when?

Who is responsible Name the team member(s) responsible and list their professional background.Who will facilitate each g roup/work together?

Activities involved Active audits, mapping techniques, generating performance...it’s up to you!

Space booked What sort of space will you need?Is there enough room for the activities you plan?Will it be private?Acoustics?Lighting?

Equipment needed From pens and paper to overhead projectors to computers.

Outputs Summarise what the workshop is expected to produce.This could be a creative output such as a poem, banner or ideas, or something lesstangible such as a change in behaviour or inspiration!

A record of the workshop Will someone take notes for each group? Are you taping/videoing discussions?

Evaluation Form for participants to complete?

Feedback Instant summary at the end of the meeting? Written feedback to participants?Subsequent plenary sessions? What worked well and why? What didn’t?Suggested improvements.


process and what is expected of them

2.7

2.8 SAMPLE


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WORKSHOPS

The following examples of workshops are alltaken from School Works’ experience atKingsdale School. They show how the exercisesin the first part of the toolkit were put togetherto produce the workshops that formed thestructure of the participatory process.


2.8

82. SCHOOL WORKS TOOL KIT View throughone deskto another. Lucyliaís Office. Hong Kong. Photo: Tonkin


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Below are just some of the questions generatedfrom students that resulted from theCommunicators work:

D How can the school improvecommunications between staff?

D Should we have telephones in theclassrooms?

D How can the school improvecommunications with the outside world?

D How can we improve communicationbetween the staff and the students?

D How can we improve the school offices?

D How can we improve access to the librarywithout encouraging theft?

These questions were addressed from the pointof view of design (bringing the school officesinto one clearly signposted space),management (providing each teacher with apager) and school culture (creating awarenessand preparedness within the school).

The discussions

1. Made the issues visible

2. Showed how the issues, such as accessand security, were intertwined

3. Made it possible to develop a response thataddressed design, management andcultural factors, that is, a holistic response.


2.8

Now and the futureTeaching and non-teaching staff were invited totake part in a series of four sessions togenerate issues that could be explored duringthe School Works process. The sessions tookplace over a single day and staff were dividedinto groups of ten.

The first, warm-up session generated quickresponses on what was good and bad aboutthe school.

The second session used a focus groupapproach to explore the staff’s professionalperceptions of working at the school, includinghow they are viewed by others and how theysee themselves.

In the third session participants were asked fortheir views on future scenarios for the school,including a 24-hour school and a technology-based school.

The final session discussed design issuesfacing the school, linking them to the presentdifficulties, uncovered in the second session,and future challenges, as explored in the thirdsession.

Taking stock of technologyA comprehensive audit of technology wasundertaken. Student teams divided the school’stechnology into four areas: the Communicatorsinvestigated communication technology, theSound Busters investigated audio-visualtechnology, the Computing Team investigatedinformation technology and Team Physicalinvestigated sport and play technology.

Each group developed their work through fourdistinct phases:

D Designing a survey questionnaire onthe computer

D Collecting data

D Discussing the findings and producingrecommendations

D Presenting the recommendations andholding a group discussion

Students and staff were presented with aninventory of technology which was oftendifferent to that held officially. In each groupthe findings went on to provoke in-depthdiscussions about the purpose of technologyand how it could be improved, about access totechnology and who could use what and when.The questions, findings and discussionsproduced work vital to the design solution.


STEP1 2 3

AGEStaff

SUBJECT

STEP2

AGEKS3

SUBJECTGeography, Design and Technology

2.8


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2.8

Lockers. WestboroughPrimary School. Photo: Cottrell and Vermeulen

Investigating personal spaces—storage issuesAt Kingsdale, a collaboration between the artsand science departments, and the projectarchitect and engineer, led to an innovativelocker-design workshop. One of the issuesgenerated in Step 1 was the lack of spacestudents had to call their own in the school.This affected their sense of belonging and alsotheir education—students were reluctant tobring all that they needed for effectiveparticipation to school because of the burden of carrying it all day. As a result, a workshopprogramme for students was designed toexplore the issue of personal space, producedesigns for school lockers and link theprovision of lockers to academic achievement.

Four workshop sessions lasting 1.5 hours eachwere set up to answer three key questions andgenerate relevant artwork to explain the resultsto the rest of the school.They ran as follows:

D What is a locker and what could it enable?D What is a personal space?D Where can we put the lockers and how will

they look?

To start with, all participants listed what theycarried with them on a typical school day andtheir techniques for limiting their burden. Thethree key questions provoked wide-rangingdiscussions on the safety of students’belongings, what a locker represented in termsof personal space and what was important in

designing one for use in a school. Theparticipants set about constructing a model of a locker and investigating suitable sites to putlockers in the school, taking into accountaccess, space and security.

A number of issues were generated:D Lack of personal space at school, both to

leave belongings and to studyD Fears about security of belongingsD Vandalism of lockersD Lack of equipment leading to inability to

study

The participants concluded there were threekey reasons for providing lockers:D Security: a safe place to put possessionsD Learning: to encourage participation in

activities by providing storage space forequipment

D Identity: to give students a sense of belonging and place for self expression

The exercises and responses enabledparticipants to highlight the problems causedby a lack of personal space and security, andhow they affected their academic performance.Working on the design and siting of lockersallowed students to address the practicalissues involved, to encourage self-expressionand consider ways of generating a culture of belonging at the school. Followingpresentations to the whole school, the designwas slightly modified and incorporated into theschool design solutions.


STEP2

AGE All

SUBJECTPSHE, Design, Citizenship

2.8


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Week 1:Participants mapped out their goals, plannedtheir time and became committed to theproject. Exercises included warm-up and trustgames, reading poems by contemporarywriters, and word games.

Week 2:Raw material was created by exploring feelingsgenerated by the school environment.The exercises used to do this included warm-upexercises; reading contemporary writers

Toolkit Online

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