1. education
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360
360°
Learning through buildings and places
Issue 20: Autumn 2009
How to get great school design
Education grants up for grabs
Learning the Japanese way
Win a prize for your lesson idea
SCHO
PULL OL
POST-OUT
INSIDER
E
Autumn spotlight°
Welcome to the autumn term edition of
360˚. It’s been a very busy summer for
CABE and our education work. Our biggest
project by far was Green Day in June,
with more than 120,000 young people
taking part in eight cities across England.
Our new teaching and learning in action
slot looks at how teachers are using the built
environment in the Engaging Places programme.
Engaging Places is run by CABE in partnership
with English Heritage. It promotes learning using
the world’s largest teaching resources – the
buildings and places around us. We start with
Cardinal Newman Catholic School’s project
with Brighton and Hove’s museum service.
For pupils, our double-sided poster looks
at careers in quantity surveying and at the
award-winning East Beach Café in Littlehampton,
designed by Thomas Heatherwick.
We visit Japan, looking at a beautiful park in
Kakamigahara City, to see how people are using
their green spaces. Finally, to coincide with the
start of the new school year, and for the third
year running, we’re opening our small grants
programme. Details are on page four.
06 Policy and practice
Setting the standard for new school design
Centre pull-out poster
East Beach Café, Littlehampton
Ever wanted to work out how much
buildings cost?
08 Looking towards Japan
10 Teaching and learning in action
Opening a window on the past
11 Education at the architecture centres
12 CABE education resources
“The new minimum design
standard means that all
secondary schools must
be well-designed”
With our best wishes for the new school year.
Anne Diack
Head of education
360˚ Issue 20
Right and below © www.lydiaevans.com
This issue sees the launch of two new features.
In each issue, we’ll be looking at a different
aspect of the school building programme.
And to kick off, we look at the new minimum
design standard that all BSF secondary
projects must now meet.
04 News Education grants
Green Day
Green Day, Britain’s biggest day of
schools action on climate change is
set to go nationwide in 2010, after a
hugely successful event in June.
Some 120,000 young people in eight
cities outside London took part in this
year’s event, with 96 per cent of teachers
rating Green Day as good or very good.
Green Day highlights the links between
climate change and the places where we live
and learn. CABE supports teachers planning
their school’s Green Day with free training
workshops and has published a 32-page
activity kit packed with ideas for subjectspecific lessons or whole-school activities.
This year, more than 400 schools ran
activities including designing eco-cities,
turning oil into biodiesel, podcasts
comparing a new school building with
the old one, and trading carbon with pupils
across Europe. Outside speakers joined
in, including MPs, TV personalities, radio
DJs, architects and university professors,
as well as parents and local people.
Environment secretary Hilary Benn said:
“The huge increase in support for Green
Day this year shows how much our schools
care about the environment. Helping us and
the next generation to live sustainably is
one of the most important things we have
to do as a society. We will need all the
talent, creativity, innovation and commitment
we can get in this task – especially in the
face of dangerous climate change.”
CABE is offering every school across
the country the chance to participate
in 2010. For further information visit
www.cabe.org.uk/greenday
360°
03
News°
CABE
education grants
CABE is offering six grants
of up to £1,500 to help schools
in England offer students great
ways to learn through buildings
and places. The grants are
available for projects that take
place between December 2009
and 31 March 2010.
Schools can apply under
one of five categories:
environments
· learning about local places
· participating in community
projects
· engaging with the design
process.
The deadline for applications
is 5pm on Monday 9 November.
Successful candidates will be
notified by 5pm on Monday
30 November.
All images this page © A&M Photography Ltd
· sustaining cities and buildings
· transforming school
In 2008/09, winning schools
explored Building Schools for
the Future, local regeneration,
school grounds design, local
landmarks, sustainable materials
and building techniques.
Pupils participated in a variety
of creative activities including
photography, dance and
drama. Pupils also took part in
a range of practical sessions
including the construction of
a straw bale building (pictured
above). To find out more about
last year’s projects visit
www.engagingplaces.org.uk
For further information and
to download an application
form please visit www.cabe.
org.uk/educationgrants
“Pupils participated in
a variety of creative
activities including
photography, dance and
drama – and practical
sessions including the
construction of a straw
bale building”
04
360˚ Issue 20
Fifty fifty chance
W E AR E
CABE
marks 10th
anniversary
In September CABE reached
its 10th anniversary. To mark
the anniversary, we are inviting
you to submit a lesson idea you
have developed that uses a local
building or place to inspire the
teaching of a curriculum subject.
The entries will be published on
the Engaging Places website,
and the winner will receive a
signed architectural drawing.
To find out more and to submit
your resource, go to
www.engagingplaces.org.uk
Stuck for ideas? Read our
teaching and learning case study
on page 10 to see what another
school did. The closing date for
entries is Friday 11 December.
Right © Zander Olsen, Make Architects Below © FreeFoto.com/Ian Britton
10
Beach hut
Throughout 2010 RIBA East
Midlands will be celebrating
brilliant and diverse architecture
in the region, such as on
Nottingham University’s
Jubilee Campus (left), through
an exhibition showcasing
50 selected buildings. The
exhibition, 50|50, will travel
to each county in the region,
raising awareness of modern
architecture and encouraging
young people’s interest in design
and the built environment.
If you would like your school to
get involved, contact Jude Hall
jude.hall@inst.riba.org
Beach
hut makeover
makeover
In September, Boscombe in
Dorset announced the winner of
its beach hut design competition.
As part of CABE’s Sea Change
programme, Boscombe received
funding to commission new
beach huts to cater for disabled
users. The competition attracted
more than 150 entries from
all over the world and eight
proposals were shortlisted this
July, with residents and visitors
casting votes. Designs range
from one made of giant ice
cream sticks, to another
which disappears into grassy
mounds. The entries have been
on display over the summer
in Boscombe’s shopping
arcade. To see the designs
and find out who won visit
www.bournemouth.gov.uk
Have you used a CABE
education resource as
the basis for a project or
lesson with young people?
Would you like to see them
included here or on our
website? If so please email
education@cabe.org.uk
05
Policy and practice°
Setting a
standard for
new school
design
Wolverhampton: putting
school users first
Wolverhampton: putting
school users first
Building Schools for the
Future (BSF) is seeing every
secondary school in England
rebuilt or refurbished.
Here we look at the new
minimum design standard,
coming into force next year.
Anne Diack explains
For the first time, a minimum
standard for design has been set
for a public building programme
– and secondary schools are the
very first to benefit.
Not without reason either.
School buildings need to create
an environment that’s conducive
to successful education. This
means that, above all, the design
should be functional. It should
allow teachers to deliver the
curriculum in an imaginative and
stimulating way, and help pupils
to learn effectively.
Design quality has a strong
influence on staff morale, pupil
motivation and effective learning
time. In one school, a redesign
06
Getting the people who’ll use
a building involved in design
decisions is critical to success –
so talking to teachers and pupils
early in the process is vital.
Wolverhampton City Council
has been putting consultation at
the centre of its BSF planning.
Four of its sample school
projects going through the
CABE schools design panel
process are now benefitting.
The local authority wants to
see similar consultation at 26
schools citywide.
of the playground allowed the
school to reduce the number
of supervisors and manage
their resources more effectively.
Another benefit is the positive
effect on the behaviour of
students. Vandalism, truancy and
bullying in poor quality school
buildings have all been reduced
or eliminated when students
feel valued by a campus that’s
a pleasure to use. Schools that
have good quality buildings are
also better able to attract and
retain teaching staff.
So in May this year the
government formally announced
that a minimum design standard
would come in to force in early
2010. The standard has been
Teachers and pupils from
the sample schools took part
in development workshops,
facilitated by DEGW, the local
authority’s client design advisor.
Three whole-day, whole-school
workshops looked to match
spatial and design requirements
with the new teaching and
learning models that the schools
are using. DEGW also ran three
school staff InSETs later in the
process with all four schools,
talking to every member of staff,
including administrative staff.
Young people in Wolverhampton
also worked with the Sorrell
Foundation in workshops that
brought young people together
with architects to discuss design.
Each school appointed two
student ambassadors who
were encouraged to think
about what design meant
in everyday life.
360˚ Issue 20
Left © A&M Photography Ltd Right © CABE/Dave Morris Below © Christian Smith
CABE believes that there
are 10 essential criteria for
a well-designed school. Its
schools design panel uses
these to assess if a proposal
is good enough:
created to ensure that local
authorities get the best design
for their BSF schools. Any that
now fall short of the standard
will not get built, so taxpayers
will be guaranteed value for
money from the government’s
investment. Only those graded as
‘very good’ or ‘pass’ will be able
to proceed through procurement
and into construction.
The CABE-led schools design
panel assessing schemes now
includes education experts,
such as Andrew Flack, a former
teacher and director of children’s
services, as well as specialists
in landscape design and
sustainability.
360˚ Issue 20
The views of teachers, pupils
and other stakeholders will also
now be fed into panel discussions
(see box opposite). These will
be gathered through a series
of exercises using the design
quality indicator tool. The DQI
tool helps the users of the school
building, including teachers and
pupils, to develop and record
their hopes and ideas for the new
or refurbished school building.
There’s a lot more information
about the work of the schools
design panel, and how the
minimum design standard will
work, on the CABE website
www.cabe.org.uk
1. Identity and context:
making a school the
students and community
can be proud of
2. Site plan: making the
best use of the site
3. School grounds:
making assets of the
outdoor spaces
4. Organisation: creating a
clear layout for the buildings
5. Buildings: making form,
massing and appearance
work together
6. Interiors: creating excellent
spaces for learning and
teaching
7. Resources: establishing
an environmental strategy
8. Feeling safe: creating
a secure and welcoming
place
9. Long life, loose fit:
creating a school that
can adapt and evolve
10.Successful whole:
making a design that
works in the round.
07
Looking towards° Japan
Japan finds
space for
people power
Manabi-no-Mori is a beautiful
park in Kakamigahara City,
Japan. Since opening in 2005
it has been a huge success.
It is an outstanding example
of inclusive design and a
beautiful green public space,
maintained by local people.
Hannah Loizos reports
Manabi-no-Mori is a remarkable
new public space in the heart
of Kakamigahara City in central
Japan. Built on a redundant
40-hectare site – home to a local
agricultural college that closed
in 1985 – the new park’s name
translates as ‘Learning Forest’,
referring to the site’s former use.
The site already contained a
local park for children’s play,
but it lacked a place where
adults could relax and enjoy
green space alongside their
children. Manabi-no-Mori’s
design encourages elderly
people, families with small
children, and university students
to mix together in a varied
landscape that caters for all.
“Local people were
involved in the design
consultation phase for the
park’s development and
they continue to play a
part in its management”
Learning through doing
The park is packed with features
that encourage natural play
and informal learning. Young
people are invited to explore
and experiment through areas
which have in-built surprises
such as mist sprinklers buried
in the flat grassy areas. There’s
also a dedicated slope for grass
sledging.
Schools use the park to teach.
One school’s grounds directly
back on to the park, allowing
subjects such as biology and
art to be studied outside very
easily. Well-maintained parks like
this can provide a stimulating
environment for formal learning.
08
360˚ Issue 20
Back in England
The next issue of 360˚ will
be dedicated to green skills
and public space – and we
want to hear your experiences
of working with young people
in parks and green spaces.
Further information
www.cabe.org.uk/casestudies/manabi-no-mori
www.diplomaelbs.co.uk
www.cabe.org.uk/
public-space/skills
Students are being
encouraged to take up green
skills through the diploma
in environmental and landbased studies that starts in
September. But how can
we open up other opportunities
and inspire interest earlier on?
If you have a story to
contribute please contact
Lydia Coelho education@
cabe.org.uk, by Friday
06 November.
· Kakamigahara City is in
central Japan and has a
population of 136,000
· After an agricultural
college closed in 1985,
the 40-hectare site was
disused until Manabi-noMori opened in 2005
· Since opening, the city has
won the Prime Minister’s
‘Green City’ Award.
© Mikiko Ishikawa All other images © Hideya Yamashita
Adults can learn too
Adults in Kakamigahara City
also have opportunities for
learning at the park. Local
people were involved in the
design consultation phase for
the park’s development and they
continue to play a part in its
management. The local authority
established a voluntary park
ranger program when the park
opened, inviting local residents
to participate in planting,
cleaning and maintenance.
With the necessary equipment
and insurance provided by the
council, residents were able
to learn the skills they needed
to maintain the park. There are
now 1,750 volunteer rangers
working in the park on a regular
basis. Local people’s sense
of ownership helps prevent
vandalism.
England’s green space
sector is facing a crisis as
it struggles to attract and
retain young people in its
workforce. Many are unaware
of the jobs available, and do
not know how to get into a
career in this area, or whether
they have the skills required.
Teaching and learning in action°
Opening a
window on
the past
The project, for key stage 3
students, focused on three
streets in the Lanes, a historic
part of Brighton now packed with
shops and restaurants. Using
street directories, the students
delved into the history of the
buildings. In school, they carried
out internet and library research.
Out of school, they explored
archives, old maps and census
data at Brighton Museum.
Visiting the streets proved a
turning point. The students’ list
of names and addresses became
real places, lived in and worked
in by real people over hundreds
of years, bringing the past to life
in a vivid and exciting way.
Inspired by their research, the
students decided to create a
film documentary. To add colour,
they dressed in period costume
and retold the story of three
buildings through the eyes of
historical characters – a Belgian
chocolatier, a wealthy hairdresser
and the impoverished child of a
large brewery family.
10
Right © Alys Tomlinson Below © Cardinal Newman Catholic School
Gifted and talented geographers
and historians from Cardinal
Newman Catholic School,
Brighton, recently took part
in ‘A window on the past’ with
Brighton and Hove’s museum
service. The project was
developed by Brighton teacher
Kate Forbes, as part of the
CABE-led Engaging Places
network.
Project aims and impact
Putting the film on the school’s
intranet has created an appetite
for local history. Year 7 students
now visit the local history centre
and use census materials and
street directories. Guided tours
of the past have become learning
walks, with students exploring
the streets and finding things out
for themselves. As Kate Forbes
says: “the project has opened
students’ eyes to the variety
of ways that you can uncover
historical information”.
‘A window on the past’ followed
the Qualifications and Curriculum
Development Agency (QCDA)
framework for delivering a
compelling learning experience.
The teacher wanted to
increase students’:
· curiosity about the built
environment
· understanding of how we
are shaped by where we live
· attainment in geography
and history
· confidence, independence
and teamwork skills.
The students learnt by:
· exploring how local streets
have changed over time
This project is part of the
Engaging Places network.
To find out more, visit
www.engagingplaces.
org.uk/network
· researching the lives of
particular buildings
· making a short film for other
students.
The students are now:
· more aware of the physical
face of their town and what it
can tell them about the past
· more confident when working
in teams and with outside
experts
· reaching new heights of
enthusiasm and attainment
in geography and history.
360˚ Issue 20
Education at the architecture centres°
Open
up!
For the seventh
year running,
Open House is
giving secondary
schools across London the
opportunity to explore an
inspiring London building, guided
by an architect. The programme
is free to state schools and
includes InSET days for teachers
to support the learning back in
the classroom, ensuring it ties
in with the key stage 3 and 4
curriculum. To find out more,
email Ros Crocker rcrocker@
openhouse.org.uk
For details of your local
architecture and built
environment centre,
as well as news, activities,
events and programmes
in your region, go to
www.architecturecentre.net
Lord Mayor’s
Show
To see the model and the rest
of the procession go to www.
lordmayorshow.org/
visitors for visitor
information.
Right © Beam Below Left © Michele Turriani
On 14 November, the Lord
Mayor’s procession will wind
through London, travelling over
three miles. As part of the show,
the Building Exploratory will unveil
a model designed with year five
students from Sebright Primary
School, Hackney. The model was
commissioned by the City Bridge
Trust and celebrates 800 years of
managing the five bridges linking
the City to south London.
Inspired
by nature
Explore the work of Japanese
designer Ryumei Fujiki this
autumn with a visit to Beam in
Wakefield. Until 23 October the
architecture centre is exhibiting
the Aqua-scape, Fujiki’s ‘floating’
sculpture inspired by organic form
and the Japanese art of origami.
More information can be found
at www.beam.uk.net/gallery
Left © Alys Tomlinson Right © Robert Clack School of Science
The Architecture Centre
Network co-ordinates,
supports and advances
the work of architecture
and built environment
centres.
The
Big Draw
To celebrate The Big Draw’s
10th birthday this October,
architecture centres in the
South West are hosting
architecture-inspired drawing
events for all ages.
Architecture Centre Devon
and Cornwall (ACD&C) is
collaborating with the University
of Plymouth on 28 October
to draw the city red, blue and
green. ACD&C will also be at
the Eden Project on 30 October,
exploring the architecture of
‘the Core’ building through
drawing. The Architecture
Centre Bristol is holding a
family event on 10 October to
celebrate overlooked, everyday
and unique bits of Bristol.
There will also be an opportunity
to get involved in creating a
giant alphabet to be displayed
in the gallery after the event.
Details of all Big Draw events
across the UK can be found at
www.campaignfordrawing.
org/bigdraw
On 16 October CABE and
the Big Draw are running a
teacher’s workshop. If you
would like to attend go to
www.engagingplaces.org.uk
for more details.
11
CABE helps schools design the campus and teach the curriculum
We offer expert advice to schools rebuilding or refurbishing their buildings
or grounds. And we deliver resources and programmes that help teachers
use the built environment to inspire learning about any subject at every age.
Sign up online to CABE’s network of teachers and other professionals.
You’ll get free copies of 360˚ magazine mailed to you direct www.cabe.org.uk/360
CABE education resources
Engaging Places
www.engagingplaces.org.uk
Supporting teaching and
learning through buildings and
places. The website is packed
with ideas and information,
including best practice case
studies and teaching resources
for all key stages. To sign up to
the newsletter, go to the website
home page.
Help Engaging Places grow.
We want to hear about your
favourite place and what
young people can learn
from it. Send your ideas to
engagingplaces@cabe.org.uk
Key stage 2
Neighbourhood journeys:
making the ordinary
extraordinary
Using the local built environment
as a context for learning in and
around the school.
Our street: learning to see
This revised cross-curricular
teachers’ guide provides
numerous ideas and suggestions
for making a visual analysis
of a street, and includes a
CD ROM of images.
Key stages 3 and 4
Green Day
Green Day is a one-day event
for schools about climate change
and the built environment.
Getting out there: art and
design local safari guide
Five ideas to support teachers
in using local buildings, places
and spaces for teaching.
Designed by Together Printed by Seacourt on revive offset 100% recycled Production managed by Lydia Coelho Cover image © www.lydiaevans.com
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