Memorandum submitted by Learning Through
Landscapes (LTL)
Learning through Landscapes is the national
school grounds charity. As the school grounds experts we have
16 years experience of supporting schools so that young people
can enjoy their entitlement to the unique opportunities which
well designed, well managed and well used school grounds can provide.
LTL undertakes research, gives advice, encourages action and supports
schools communities and all those who care about improving these
important environments.
Learning through Landscapes works in partnership
with government, local authorities, the private sector and school
communities themselves to improve the use, design and management
of school grounds.
Since it was established in 1990, LTL has worked
directly with over 10,000 schools, raised over £20 million
for grounds improvement and contributed substantially to school
grounds research and to new legislation and good practice.
1. This submission from Learning through
Landscapes is put forward to support the case that investment
in school grounds within the Government's Building Schools for
the Future Programme and the Academies building programme will
assist schools to meet the needs of learners and their communities
now and in the future; will assist schools to become sustainable
and deliver value and achieve the aim of educational transformation
within the curriculum and the campus.
2. School grounds are an environment designed
and managed primarily for children and young people. They can
be readily accessed by all pupils on a daily basis without significant
additional costs and there is ample research and practical evidence
to show that they are of great value for teaching and learning
for all Key Stages including Work Related Learning.
3. There are, however, significant issues
of quality, suitability and sustainability indicating that the
majority of school grounds are used at only 30% of their true
educational and social value. LTL has no evidence that suggests
the Academies and Building Schools for the Future programme is
improving on this performance.
4. LTL's observation is that some of the
new schools, and particularly some of the Academies are coming
on stream with school grounds that are still substantially below
the standard that would be expected of a modern educational establishment.
We suggest the factors contributing to this are:
— External works budgets on capital
projects (particularly the soft landscape element) are well known
to be vulnerable to cost culling when building costs overrun because
they are "last in line".
— Educational investment in the outdoors
often comes within the definition of "exceptional costs".
— There appears to be a significant
presumption in favour of high tech indoor learning provision that
leaves little scope for investment outdoors.
— Architects and private education
contractors seem unaware of the possibilities from a whole site
development which includes quality outdoor learning provision.
— PPP consortia often appear to have
a poor understanding of the teaching and learning potential of
school grounds and there is a tendency for them to design expensive
aesthetic landscapes of little educational value.
5. Learning through Landscapes was commissioned
by the DfES to write the Designing School Grounds publication
in the DfES Schools for the Future series, and anticipate there
will be an opportunity to launch this later in the summer. In
this publication and through its many years of practice, LTL has
demonstrated that the development and use of school grounds makes
a significant contribution to the transformation of young people's
learning and development, across the curriculum.
6. The outdoor classroom is a perfect vehicle
for the delivery of Education for Sustainable Development, as
well as other topics related to sustainable development such as
Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health Education, geography,
science and the 14-19 vocational education. Through their grounds,
schools can teach young people about many aspects of sustainable
living and working, for example; growing fruit and vegetables
and healthy eating; making their own energy from wind turbines
and solar panels; setting up wildlife areas and studying biodiversity;
collecting rainwater for use in the school and grounds; providing
safe cycle storage to encourage travelling by bike; recycling
paper and composting food; setting up a weather station to monitor
the impact of climate change.
7. In addition to the formal curriculum,
school grounds can be used as exemplars of sustainable design
and management to embed sustainable thinking and practice into
the school culture. For example; designing for minimal environmental
impact; re-using materials on site and sourcing recycled materials;
constructing with minimum energy use; designing, building and
planting for minimal energy use; respecting locally distinctive
crafts and skills; maximising the positive capacity of the natural
environment to provide light, shade, shelter, ventilation, making
optimal use of green technologies such as reed bed filtration,
renewable energy.
8. LTL research also demonstrates the impact
that decent school grounds can have on the behaviour and well
being of pupils and staff. The National School Grounds Survey
looked at 700 schools that had improved their grounds in the past
four years. It found that:
— 65% of schools reported an improved
attitude to learning;
— 52% reported improved academic achievement;
— 73% said behaviour had improved;
— 64% reported reduced bullying;
— 84% reported improved social interaction;
and
— 85% said that healthy active play
had increased.
9. School grounds changes and developments
offer significant potential for school users to practice real,
socially sustainable models that can transform their learning
and development. Active participation grows a culture of ownership
and responsibility, working together and belonging; unlike other
areas of the campus, the outdoor arena offers practical opportunities
for the whole school community to impact on their environment
through hands-on, experiential learning. With schools at the heart
of the local community, the grounds can become a shop-front for
the school to promote the importance of sustainable design and
management practices among their stakeholders.
10. The Education and Select Committee Report
of Session 2004-05 stated that, "School grounds are a vital
resource, but our evidence suggests they are sometimes poorly
designed. The DfES should ensure that its capital projects, for
example, the Building Schools for the Future and Academy programmes,
devote as much attention to the "outdoor classroom"
as to the innovative design of buildings and indoor space".
LTL has no evidence to give us confidence that this recommendation
is being acted upon. The output specification (PFI) for external
requirements states, "that the design should demonstrate
how the potential of the school grounds can be exploited for learning",
but this statement is highlighted as an option rather an obligation.
11. School grounds remain vulnerable to
financial pressures within the education system, particularly
in respect of BSF and the Academies Programme, and remain an area
of relatively low quality associated with low investment.
June 2006
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