Designing Primary Schools for the Future

684 Words3 Pages
Designing Primary Schools for the Future There has been very little research on the effects of school design on teaching and learning in Irish primary schools. The increasing number of school-age children in the coming decades provides an opportunity to design and build schools which enhance pupil engagement and achievement. Future school design needs to be informed by the experiences of people who use the facilities the most – principals, teachers and pupils. Designing Primary Schools for the Future draws on interviews with education stakeholders, principals, teachers and pupils as well as a review of international research in assessing how primary school buildings can be used to enhance the learning process. The main findings of the study: * The Primary Curriculum (1999) is seen as having contributed to more active learning approaches. However, there is scope for greater use of group work and play-based learning. * The design of some primary schools (especially older buildings) makes it difficult to put the child-centred curriculum approach fully into practice. * Small or medium-sized schools are seen as allowing for more personal interaction among members of the education community and yielding a greater sense of ownership over school life. * Smaller class sizes are seen to allow for the use of more active learning methods and for more individual attention to pupils. * Natural lighting and ventilation, flexibility in temperature control and lack of noise travelling between rooms are seen to enhance teaching and learning activities. * Stakeholders, teachers and pupils are critical of available ICT/computer facilities and modern technology in primary schools. There is considerable potential to integrate ICT more fully into day-to-day teaching and learning. * Outdoor space is centrally important to children’s experience of school.
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