HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Commentary on Draft Secondary Accommodation Models

The net area of each school is the total space comprising all teaching areas, halls, learning resource areas, staff and administration, storage and dining/social. For each category of space the DfES Guidelines offer a range between a minimum and a maximum, based on a formula to be applied to group size or population of school.

No category should be provided for below its minimum. As a general rule, some midway point on the scale will be appropriate. However, specific decisions on the size of particular types of space will depend on an individual school’s curriculum model, specialism and nature. It is worth noting that the minimum is meant to allow for one wheelchair user, assistants and portable ICT equipment.

The Guidelines also provide us with a recommended net area, calculated by formula based on the school’s roll. This recommended area minus the sum of the minimum areas for the categories of space referred to above gives a figure known as the “float”. Strictly speaking, we could make provision at the minimum for each category and use the float to enhance specific areas depending on each individual school’s needs and rationale. The approach we have taken, however, has been to identify preferences, usually at around the average point in the range for each category, thus making use of the float as part of the coherent planning behind the models.

The Models herein, covering 4FE to 10FE, make a number of assumptions. The following are the most significant.

Teaching Areas

1

Mouchel ParkmanSeptember 2004

Ed Baines

HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

General Classroom60 m2

The Guidelines suggest a range from 56 to 63 m2 for “standard” classrooms housing up to 30 pupils. This size will allow PCs at half the workstations or laptops/tablets at all, offering scope for a developed ICT policy in each school.

MFL60 m2

There is a suggestion that one MFL room should be larger than the others, at 77 m2, to make provision for a modern Language Lab. It is quite common, however, for all MFL rooms to be the same size, and the proposed size offers scope for a range of Language learning activities. The Language Lab option may be off-set in terms of the overall space budget by having smaller general MFL classrooms or by economising on space elsewhere or a combination of these.

ICT77 m2

The need for specialist ICT rooms is likely to diminish as portable equipment becomes more prevalent and the place of ICT in curriculum delivery and learning develops further. They will continue to be used to teach computing and ICT skills (and one may double as a Language Lab) but the potential for integrated use of ICT in teaching spaces of most kinds suggests a small number of specialist ICT rooms and some central research facility in the Learning Resource Centre will meet the need.

SEN25 m2

Much depends on the organisation within each school for SEN provision. For this reason the approach in these pages is based on a blanket 4 rooms at 25m2 as the basis for further thinking. An SEN Office/Resource Base is also allowed for and should be taken into account in planning.

25 m2 is at the high end of the range for Small Classrooms for groups up to 12, offering space for a variety of activities, particularly for smaller numbers.

Science90 m2

This allows for a range of related activities and is roughly in the middle of the suggested range.

PSE

It is assumed that classrooms are used as tutor bases for this sort of work. Differing approaches may need to be accommodated, but it is likely that this will be done from within the classroom complement.

BIS/Voc60 m2

There will be an increase in many schools in areas set aside not just for Business Studies and related courses but also Vocational offerings of various kinds. It is likely that group sizes using such rooms will be in the mid-twenties. It is also possible that growing use of “out-of-school” facilities (CFEs, local employers etc) will impact on the use of school environment, though this is impossible to quantify at this stage. 60 m2 is our accepted Standard Classroom size for groups up to 30 and at the lower end of the BIS/ICT range. While it allows for a wide range of activities, including the use of mobile ICT, particular circumstances (eg Vocational specialism) may suggest a revision of this proposal. Consideration also needs to be given to the provision of certain services (eg water) depending on the appropriate range of activities for the vocational course offered.

Music67 m2

Music Recital90 m2

67 m2 is the average for a Large Classroom and allows the typical range of Music learning activities in conjunction with the provision of Practice and Ensemble Rooms (at four per teaching room). We propose that at least one Recital Room (which may be shared with Drama use) at 90 m2 be provided. Practice Rooms are an essential resource and 10 m2 should be adequate for their purposes. An Ensemble Room will be 20 m2.

Drama90 m2

This figure seems good for 30 students (the likely maximum group size). It will therefore provide a generous resource for smaller groups.

Art105 and 90 m2

The standard Art Room is in a range of 83 to 99 m2 for a group of 30. It is suggested that at least one Art Room should be at 105 m2 (Large Art Room), offering more flexibility of use and allowing further rooms to be at 90 m2.

Food101 m2

Decision here depends on provision being either, for example, 2 pupils per cooker and a full range of appropriate equipment or 3 or 4 pupils per cooker and some ICT resources and display area. The area is average for its range and based on maximum group size of 20, as with all Technology/Design subjects.

Design Tech

Multi-Materials112 m2

Textiles90 m2

Graphics77 m2

Electronics90 m2

The mix of these rooms is not always straightforward. A lot depends on what is in them, including provision such as CAD/CAM and the nature of the equipment installed. A typical suite in a smaller school might be 1 metal based and 1 wood based, sharing a CAD/CAM bay, with other specialisms (eg Textiles) provided for accordingly. The figures here assume groups of 20 maximum. It is advisable that large practical areas be at least 8m wide to allow for the nature of the equipment in them.

PE Sports Hall594 m2

This is Sport England minimum 4 court sports hall (18x33) and is appropriate not least where community use is envisaged. The height is also crucial, at 7.6m.

Activity Hall180 m2 (10m min width, height 4.5m)

Such a hall, with a sprung floor, can accommodate Dance, Aerobics, Gymnastics and similar activities, but is more likely to be seen as the second PE space. The Guidelines suggest 145 m2 but that seems small. Sport England suggest that 1 court needs 180m2. 2 courts, incidentally, would require 306m2.

Assembly Hall

The Main Hall has a wide variety of uses, varying from school to school but including School Assembly, examinations, public performances, parents’ evenings of various sorts and community events. To be successful as an exam space, the Hall needs locating apart from circulation and gathering spaces.

The DfES believe that their overall formula for the provision of Halls allows for a Sports Hall that need not be commandeered for exams. This is on the basis that the remaining space is enough for one full year group and a fifth of the Sixth Form to be seated in exam conditions.

Our proposal is achieved on the basis of requiring the Main Hall to house at most 3 out of the 5 year groups in main school (@0.3m2 per student) with an allowance for different sizes of 6th Form.

Learning Resources Centre

The Guidelines offer a minimum recommended area formula, (50 + .1N) for the Library/Resource Centre within a global provision for Learning Resource Areas which includes 6th Form Study Rooms, Group Work Rooms (@ 1 for every 150 students), SEN Resource Base, ICT Resource Areas and any Special Resource Rooms (like a Dark Room, kiln etc). The figures in the draft schedules exceed these minima in order to provide a practical and effective resource, including a small ICT facility. No provision has been made for local ICT Resource Areas (clusters) on the basis that classroom sizes offer scope for the use of portable ICT equipment at an effective level.

ICT77 m2

Delivery of the ICT curriculum will need 1 ICT Suite at 4fe, 2 at 5, 6 and 7fe, 3 at 8 and 9fe and 4 at 10fe. This area may give scope for providing Language Lab facilities if they are deemed useful.

ICT Policy will be vital for the determination of spaces in a school. These possibilities suggest themselves, though they are unlikely to be exhaustive:-

Pattern A

  • ICT Rooms for Computing/Skills
  • Laptop/Tablet provision in all classrooms and work areas

Pattern B

  • ICT Rooms for Computing/Skills
  • Smaller classrooms with less potential for Laptop/Tablet use
  • ICT Clusters in “break-out” area from subject rooms

Pattern C

  • ICT Rooms for Computing/Skills
  • Some subject Areas:
  • Laptop/Tablet provision in all classrooms and work areas
  • Other Subject Areas:
  • Smaller classrooms with less potential for Laptop/Tablet
  • ICT Clusters in “break-out” area from subject rooms.

Our model is based on Pattern A.

Small Group and Study Rooms20m2

Some thought must be given to the potential for flexibility, given plans for curriculum reform at 14+. This implies, at least, the provision of some small group working spaces, accommodating up to 12 students. Vocational and other areas of the curriculum are likely to find such spaces essential in the revised educational context. There is a clear need also for 6th Form students to have independent study spaces.

The size proposed is above the average of the Guidelines range. The number of such rooms has been set to reflect the likely need depending on the size of the school.

Associated non-teaching Areas

These include offices and storage for curriculum areas, Prep Rooms, ICT Server and 6th Form Social Centre.

Departmental Offices (which can double as Departmental bases in a number of ways) should not exceed 8m2 on the basis that “generous provision for individual offices will use up float with debatable effect” (Guidelines p38 note ii). This has been the general approach to offices throughout.

Storage is provided on this basis:-

  • Each General Classroom to have 3m2 walk-in store;
  • Each Department to have central walk-in store @ 3m2 per classroom;
  • Each Practical Space to have 6 m2 walk-in store;
  • Food Technology to have a food store at 15 m2;
  • Each Art Room to have 12m2 storage;
  • Science Prep Room to be @ 13 m2 per lab;
  • Technology Preparation Area to be at least 30 m2:
  • Instrument Store at least 10 m2 and relative to number of Music Rooms of all types;
  • PE Storage at 12.5% of teaching space on Sport England recommendation; DfES will accept 10%;
  • Other storage as deemed practicable.

6th Form Social Area is based on 0.9 m2 per 6th Former, assuming 75% of 6th Form maximum use and is provided within the global allocation for Dining and Social Areas. 6th Form numbers are based on an aspirational stay-on rate of 60% of Year 11 and 70% of Year 12.

Some models include additional social space to ensure Guidelines minimum is met on Dining and Social. This can be used either to top up Dining space or to provide snack areas distributed through the school – or a mix of both.

Other Non-teaching Areas

Dining

It is assumed that some 75% of pupils use the facility in (typically) 3 sittings. Area has been calculated on the basis of 0.9m2 per student/diner, allowing some flexibility in dining arrangements.

Personal Storage

Storage for coats and bags and the provision of lockers is allowed for at 2m2 per class.

Staff and Admin

The approach in this draft for Staff areas allows for a centralised facility providing social and work space. If it is decided to distribute work space around the school, this area should be seen as an indicative global allocation. Areas are in line with appropriate schedule exemplars.

All other facilities may be deemed average or typical for intended use. It is assumed that the number of Caretakers (Site Supervisors) relates to school size.

Non Net Areas

Pupil Toilets

Pupil toilets are calculated within an overall Toilets and Personal Care space budget. The overall figure can be used to distribute the facilities as considered appropriate. A generic 20m2 is used in these proposals for each toilet space, allowing for some 4 toilets plus basins in each (appropriate mix in boys’ toilets of toilets and urinals) and an avoidance of any cramped feeling.

It should further be noted that:-

  1. WCs should be provided at the level of 1 per 20 students (with boys’ toilets having some two thirds of the fitments as urinals);
  2. There should be a wash-basin for every WC provided;
  3. Facilities should be distributed for ease of access and located near senior staff facilities for monitoring purposes;
  4. Privacy must be balanced with the need for supervision.

A decision is to be made for each school on whether to provide a large number of smaller toilets (i.e. well distributed) or a smaller number of larger toilets (i.e. more easily monitored/managed).

Staff Toilets

Staff toilets are calculated within an overall Toilets and Personal Care space budget. The overall figure can be used to distribute the facilities as considered appropriate and does not need to be distributed as shown in the models. A generic 4m2 is used in these proposals for each toilet space, allowing for some 2 toilets plus basins in each (appropriate mix in men’s toilets of toilets and urinals).

WCs should be provided at the level of 1 per 10 staff, excluding Canteen staff, but including allowance for the wide range of non-teacher adults now working in our schools.

Changing Rooms

Changing facilities are calculated within an overall Toilets and Personal Care space budget. Pupil Changing Rooms are provided on the basis of the need to accommodate half a year group @0.9m2 per student, plus 5m2 for disabled, with an allowance for 6th Formers; and 1 shower cubicle per 6 pupils changing @ 1.25m2 each

Staff changing facilities are provided on the basis of 1 male and 1 female facility including shower cubicle. The area proposed allows two staff to use each at any time.

Miscellaneous

The following areas are based on the Guidelines as percentages of Net Area:-

  • Kitchens at1.75% (aiming for kitchen above 40% of the size of the Dining Hall), including kitchen, servery, staff room and toilets;
  • Plant at2.5%;
  • Partitions at4.5%;
  • Circulation at27.5% - the 25-30% suggested in the Guidelines seems high in practice, 20% being considered generous by some. Our draft takes a midway point, offering scope for generous circulation in line with modern architectural practice (see Building Schools for the Future) or some saving on costs with judicious economy of space.

Corridors at 1.9m width allow two wheelchairs to pass and offer ample space to support civilised, managed use of circulation space. By the same token, door widths should be standardised based on a similar rationale.

Other areas are deemed average or typical for intended use.

Summary of Totals

The targets in the draft schedules are based on the DfES’s Guidelines for each of the categories, showing minimum and maximum where a range is available. The totals are for the proposed models. Remaining within the targets allows some flexibility and scope for discussion, particularly over the Non Net Areas.

Community Use

Many schools already make provision for out-of-school-hours use of resources, either run by themselves or some other agency (eg FE Institutions). Others embrace in-school-hours community use, which might involve adult attendance in school-provided lessons or the offer of resources via some external agency.

Current thinking on school design, including attempts to meet a variety of Government initiatives (eg Building Schools for the Future, 14-19 agenda, Children’s Centres and so on), has refreshed the urge to consider wider community use of schools’ facilities. This is not a straightforward issue of provision, however, raising issues of management and security at the very least. On a simple level, providing external access to, for example, changing rooms and toilets will suffice. A more sophisticated range of community uses will of course go beyond this.

General issues that arise from Community use include:-

  • Storage spaces (internal and external)
  • Internal storage may include designated store-rooms, particularly in specific curriculum areas (eg Art, Technology, Performance Arts) and provision for clerical/administrative facilities
  • Sports facilities may include lockers, comparable to sports club and leisure centre provision
  • External storage may include provision for sports equipment and community-assigned furniture and equipment of various kinds
  • An Office
  • This will depend on the nature of the community uses, their organisation and management, but may relate to adult education, co-ordination of community groups and provision of a point of communication and information
  • A Reception Area
  • It is not uncommon for Community Schools to have an identifiably different entrance and reception facility for users, contributing to security and other issues of differentiated use; such a facility also offers convenience of use and access, important on large and complex sites
  • Such an area may also provide public toilet facilities, including a disabled toilet and even a baby changing room
  • Additional or larger teaching and/or activity areas
  • Community education calls for specified “Training Rooms”, for a multiplicity of Community learning needs, and this should be one or more half- to full-size classroom (i.e. 27 to 54 m2) depending on locally determined requirements
  • Consideration must be given to the adequacy of size of sports and other facilities (eg badminton courts) given the needs of adults compared particularly to those of younger children; including such facilities in Primary schools may impinge on provision elsewhere
  • A corollary of this is the provision of adult-sized furniture, particularly in hygiene areas, in facilities primarily designed for smaller children
  • Community Bar/Kitchen
  • Naturally a bar would be quite specifically “non-school” in its use. Implications of the inclusion of such a facility include impact on pupil perceptions, provision of adequate security and storage and proximity to other facilities
  • Zoning – to allow targeted provision of, for example:-
  • Heating
  • Security
  • Car parking
  • Cleaning
  • Management
  • Access to toilets and showers etc
  • Design models must take into account the need to separate areas of student use from community (largely adult) use, on the basis of student security and safety. Given the high level of security that currently obtains, particularly, but not only, in Primary Schools, providing for community use during school times must be accompanied by some assurance (even guarantee?) on the safety of young people
  • Other separation issues include ease of access for the community (eg parking, its provision and proximity), caretaking issues (eg times of cleaning, locking of rooms) and targeted provision of services such as heating and security alarms.
  • Community Rooms – typically a room for interviewing parents, community events/meetings, storage of resources and/or a lounge for community use of various kinds
  • Such provision will depend upon the extent of community provision and its management.
  • Emergency lighting/fire escape in hours of darkness
  • Such provision is common enough to meet the needs of teachers, parents and students on the occasion of parents’ evenings and other evening events
  • Frequent community use in the evening brings equal responsibilities to site users
  • Signage
  • Schools can be bewildering to visitors and effective provision of signposts can assist use of the site and support security and safety measures as well as contributing to the user-friendliness of the environment.

Extended Schools