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Village school shows way forward
06/02/2009
A new £4 million village school which saw parents, pupils and teachers involved every step of the way during its construction was officially opened by Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning today.
Dunning Primary School in rural Perthshire is a striking new-build which also incorporated part of the old Victorian school which stands at the heart of the village.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, said:
"Dunning Primary School is an example of the progress being made in creating a school estate fit for 21st Century learning and teaching. It was traditionally procured and built under the term of office of this administration with building work beginning in November 2007.
"This project has transformed the learning environment for teachers and pupils while at the same time bringing the local community together.
"The fact that the children had to be decanted during the construction process to nearby Auchterarder could have been viewed as a problem for them. However, the teachers recognised this as a learning opportunity within Curriculum for Excellence and set up a pupil visiting group which made supervised visits to the building site and reported on progress via newsletters which were compiled by the pupils.
"Dunning Primary now incorporates a number of sustainable design features and sets a good example of what can be achieved in creating learning spaces for the 21st Century."
The Education Secretary also announced the launch of Changing Classrooms, a handbook funded by the Scottish Government and produced by The Lighthouse, the Scottish National Architecture and Design Centre, which illustrates the important relationship between space and learning. The handbook highlights best practice and how this can support teachers to improve learning in the context of Curriculum for Excellence.
Every school in Scotland is to receive a copy of the booklet to help them identify ways in which they can use their classroom spaces more effectively.
Ms Hyslop said:
"We hope the examples presented here will inspire teachers to take small - or larger - actions to change and improve spaces in their school, which in turn will help to improve the learning that takes place within the classroom, and beyond.
"Well-designed spaces can help teachers to see the potential in their surroundings. By using the same space in many different ways they can explore all aspects of learning across the whole curriculum and get the most out of their school."
Ms Hyslop stressed that Scotland's school building programme is continuing apace with 250 schools expected to be paid for and delivered during the life of this Parliament.
"This Government expects that in only four years, 100,000 more school pupils will be benefiting from a 21st Century education delivered in cutting-edge schools just like this."
Nick Barley, Executive Director of The Lighthouse, added:
"The Lighthouse believes passionately in the power of good architecture and design to change our lives. The schools featured in Changing Classrooms provide an impressive array of examples of how innovative design can make a real difference to the learning experience, and how school premises can serve the wider community - within tight budgets.
"As Scotland's national Architecture and Design Centre, The Lighthouse is delighted to partner the Scottish Government in this important project, which will give schools across the country access to these examples of best practice, and inspire them to look at how they can redesign their own facilities."
In January, the Education Secretary announced a package of measures which will work towards a lower carbon school estate and meet the Government's commitments to have renewable generation in every school and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 as will be required under the world leading Scottish Climate Change Bill. The consultation on the Framework for the Development and Deployment of Renewables in Scotland, published on October 6, sets out Government proposals for achieving 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020.
The Audit Scotland report made a number of recommendations, all of which the Scottish Government and COSLA have accepted. Discussions regarding future school estate policy, funding and delivery have already commenced, with the intention of publishing a new School Estate Strategy for the longer-term by spring 2009.
The joint Government and COSLA working group, which also includes representatives from SOLACE, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and ADES, the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, is to develop the new Strategy for a School Estate which is tailored to meet the needs of pupils, teachers and communities in full support of the Curriculum for Excellence.
Dunning Primary is a five-class eco school with a roll of 99. The new and existing buildings are all served by sustainable design features such as, automatic lighting controls; solar panels to pre-heat water and electronic displays to provide a teaching aid to the pupils; natural ventilation in teaching areas and mechanical ventilation reduced to utility spaces. The new building was conventionally procured through Non-PPP means, costing £4,358,000, and opened to pupils in October 2008.
Design for Learning (2007) is a handbook based on a number of case studies that enables teachers, pupils and parents to have a real say in the development of their schools.
Changing Classrooms builds on Senses of Place: Building Excellence which saw leading architects' practices working with schools across Scotland on specific design challenges. The outcomes of Senses of Place were featured in a publication and an exhibition at The Lighthouse, which was launched by Fiona Hyslop in February 2008.
The schools featured in Changing Classrooms are Greenwards Primary School (Elgin), Harmeny Primary School (Balerno), Royal School of Dunkeld, Kilquhanity Children's Village (Dumfriesshire), Doune Nursery, Baker Street Nursery (Stirling), St. Thomas's of Aquin's High School (Edinburgh) and Ardnamurchan High School.