| Issue | Current education provision
| Desired education provision | Constraints
|
| 1. Space | No dedicated space for education sessions, either during term time or outside of these times.
| Dedicated, sound proofed facilities with clear access routes, providing storage, flexible areas, furniture and ICT equipment. Cater for more groups at same time. Meeting rooms released back to Members' use. Rooms available to Members outside of teaching hours.
| Lack of purpose built space so Education Service has to use spaces designed for Members' use which are not appropriate for education purposes.
|
2. Capacity | 11,170 school children in 2005-06 via organised education sessions, rising to 28,000 by 31 March 2008 with current resources.
| 100,000 learners a year (formal and informal learners). Numbers could be more if Members wish to find a way to subsidise travel to Westminster (see item 17)
| School parties can only attend during term time. There is a lack of space to cater for more than three visits per day.
|
3. Demand | Waiting list of two terms in advance for school groups to visit.
| Capability to provide for 100,000 learners meeting demand (including demand generated by outreach) without big waiting lists.
| Lack of space to house more school visits during term time and meet demand.
|
4. Peak use of current education facilities
| A full day visit in the Macmillan Room is 10.30—2.30. Half day visits in 1 Parliament Street are 10.30—1.00 and
1.30—3.30.
| Make better use of education facilities for non-school groups outside of peak times for schools
(ie later in the day).
| Lack of a dedicated space means Education Service cannot provide sessions outside core school hours as rooms are booked by others. Staff resources.
|
5. Tours | Only one in six children have come on a tour of Parliament tailored for children by the Education Service.
| More education-specific tours which are curriculum-focused and shorter than the normal adult tour. A more varied programme to cater for different needs—offering mix and match modules.
| Lack of capacity in Tours Office to take "tailored tours". Lack of capacity in Education Service to cater for more children or offered varied programme.
|
6. Length of visits (see item 11)
| No place for groups to have lunch. Visits are fitted in the hours before or afterwards and are short.
| Most students spend 3—4 hours per visit, and over lunchtime. Provides better value in terms of the time and money spent to get to Parliament.
| Lack of a lunch area. Lack of dedicated spaces to allow groups to come and go freely. Lack of holding area for groups to be active and circulate while learning—such as exhibition space.
|
7. Coverage beyond London (see item 18)
| An average of 61% of schools which visit each year are from London and the South East.
| Bring schools to Parliament which might not normally come via targeted marketing, and demand created from outreach work. More dedicated spaces to cater for more schools increasing opportunity for all. A lunch space and more to do so that schools from a distance can stay longer and have better value.
| Geographical location. Limited outreach service. Limited manual booking system.
|
8. A base for outreach staff
| 2 members of an Outreach Team working with those unable to visit Parliament. They support Members in their work with schools and young people here and in constituencies.
| A physical base/hub for the outreach team to hold conferences and workshops; training sessions for outreach workers and teachers; talks for community groups.
| Lack of dedicated space. |
9. Format of educational activities
| Activities for groups are constrained by the format of the rooms. Programmes are also ad hoc and not always in line with what is on the website or in resource packs. Pre and post session support is not provided for schools.
| Flexible rooms which could accommodate different sizes of groups and be configured in different seating plans. Purpose built space to cater for all activities—art, debates etc. Consistent approach for activities rather than ad hoc.
| Lack of dedicated spaces where children can be actively engaged without disturbing daily business of Parliament. Lack of staff resources. Lack of storage for resources for different activities.
|
10. Computer facilities
| Current rooms have no computer facilities for students to use.
| Rooms equipped with computers, interactive white boards and videoconferencing facilities.
| Lack of equipment and proper space to use it.
|
11. Lunch facilities
| (see item 6) | No dedicated area for schools to eat their own prepared lunches. Those here all day do eat in the Macmillan Room but this is only ever one group at a time. It also means children are inactive, sitting down for most of their time here. No lunch facilities is a significant problem for schools from a distance or for younger pupils.
| A large lunch area for packed lunches which is capable of hosting a whole year group. Lack of dedicated space.
|
12. Facilities for coats/bags
| Nowhere for students to store coats and bags
| Lockable cupboards adjacent to the dedicated teaching spaces.
| Lack of dedicated space. |
13. Toilets | Students use existing toilets. These are not suitable for younger children and become congested with school groups.
| Dedicated toilets near the education area which include small toilets and hand basins for smaller children.
| Lack of dedicated space. |
14. Special needs groups
| Only limited provision is made for groups with special needs.
| Dedicated facilities to enable Education Service to offer a programme for students with special needs.
| Lack of dedicated spaces which meet standards and allow small group work.
|
15. Sessions outside of school terms (see item 19)
| Very few sessions are provided outside of school terms for non-school learners. The focus is solely on school groups who only visit on a school day in term time.
| Education facilities used all year round at flexible times by different groups—formal and informal learners. More flexible use of resources.
| Lack of working hours for evening and weekend opening. Lack of staff resources to ensure sessions and hard copy materials can be developed for new audiences.
|
16. Facilities to train teachers, especially citizenship teachers
| Limited training is offered for teachers either on site or remotely by the Education Service using their resources.
| Teachers, especially of citizenship, should be offered the opportunity to learn how to deliver and tailor their own sessions relating to Parliament and democracy in their own class rooms. Cascading knowledge this way has the potential to reach a large number of students over a wider geographical area.
| Lack of dedicated space. Lack of staff to provide sessions outside of core school times and supporting materials. Lack of flexible working hours to provide sessions in the evening or at weekends.
|
17. Staff numbers |
9.5 posts currently in Education Service providing for up to 28,000 school children.
| Extra education visits staff and extra VAs would be required to support an education programme for 100,000 learners.
| Lack of staff resources |
18. Subsidies (see item 7)
| None offered | Ensure schools visiting via the Education Service are representative of all areas of UK.
| Lack of space to house increased demand. Funding for subsidies.
|
19. Types of group (see item 15)
| Groups such as families, adult learners and community groups are not provided for.
| Education facilities which could be used by other learners outside of school hours and term times. If hours are extended more groups could be catered for.
| Lack of working hours for evening and weekend opening. Lack of staff resources. Cost of increasing services and security (opening at weekends).
|
20. The "Westminster Experience"
| Groups want some form of experience of Parliament itself. Currently this takes the form of a tour.
| Other ways should be found for an increased number of groups to experience Parliament and minimise pressure on the Palace. On site this could involve exhibition areas (to display existing work and students' own work) and using the Parliamentary Collection of art and artefacts.
| Current limited capacity of the Palace to cater for tours of increased numbers of schools.
|
| January 2007 | |
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