building futures - volume 9 issue 1

BUILDINGFUTURESVol 9 Issue 1 May 2014

Blackpool Conference How the traditional seaside resort is adapting to the future

Three of the Best! Looking at three very different new projects in South Gloucestershire

Runways End A vist to one of the newest OutdoorEducation Centres in the country

ALSO: NAO News

Capital Maintenance

PLUS: When EBDOG Met the Royal Corgis

Special Educational Needs

Building Futures is the official journal of theEducation Building Development Officers Group

FRONT COVER.indd 1 11/05/2014 17:32

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Building Futures: Volume 9 Issue 1 | www.dmbpublishing.co.uk/BuildingFutures 1


Welcome to Building Futures

Contents2 Chairman’s Comment

Thoughts from EBDOG National Chairman Peter Colenutt.

3 National Audit OfficeNAO reviews the Government’s Free Schools programme.

4 Conference Hosts - BlackpoolHow the famous traditional seaside town is adapting to significant economic and social change.

13 Capital Maintenance - The Inside StoryGareth Simmons revisits the James Review four years on from its start.

16 When EBDOG met the Royal Corgis!Previous EBDOG Chairman Graham Olway MBE, shares his special day when he met Her Majesty the Queen to receive his MBE.

18 Wallscourt Farm AcademyA look at this impressive new £4.8m development in South Gloucestershire.

20 Three of the Best!Focussing on three very different and diverse South Gloucestershire school build projects.

23 Runways EndA vist to Hampshire Council’s Outdoor Education Centre – one of the largest and newest in the country.

25 Regenerating North SolihullDespite a challenging economy, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council remains committed to keeping its ‘regeneration vehicle’ on track.

26 Rules for SchoolsA range of ideas to help you keep track of those legislative and housekeeping concerns.

27 Special Educational NeedsGill Hawkins continues her report on improving provision for pupils with special educational needs or disability.

32 Next EBDOG ConferenceNews and details of the November 2014 EBDOG conference to be hosted by Portsmouth.

FRONT COVER: Highfield Humanities College in Blackpool.



EBDOG News

Firstly, I would like to express my considerable thanks for the fantastic support I

have received from local authority colleagues, the DfE and EFA since taking over the role of EBDOG National Chairman. I thought the Twickenham conference was a great success and I hope you find the Blackpool conference the same.

For those of you that joined us at the November conference you will recall me talking about updating the EBDOG web site. I must confess that this has proved slightly more challenging than we first envisaged but I can confirm that it remains a high priority for me and the Executive. I am pleased to say that the regional group attendance figures are increasing and recent meetings have proved to be constructive, providing opportunities to share good practice and discuss important topical issues. As I’ve said before, these local groups are only as strong as you make them, so if you haven’t attended for a while or are new in post, please contact your local representatives to find out when the next meeting is due to take place. I know for most of you this time of year is a challenge, with capital projects due to complete to accommodate the forthcoming September intake. For many local authorities, and Hampshire is no different, we continue to see a rise in primary numbers and I’m sure many of you will have taken part in what can often be challenging public consultation meetings, talking

to parents about the suitability of the planned design solutions and car parking with local residents! As the primary numbers progress through the system we must gear ourselves up for the pressure on the secondary sector. This will involve working with the differing types of school governance such as local and national academy chains, the diocese and community schools alike. For those local authorities that did not form part of the BSF programme, expanding the secondary estate will bring new challenges as we try to understand the curriculum implications of expanding those schools. Many will require additional specialist spaces which by their nature are expensive to build. The overall national increase in pupil numbers also impacts on Special Educational Need places, again, expensive provision to build, especially with the advances in medical technology that necessitate schools having very specific accommodation to meet the specialist needs. These children have a challenging life and we must do all we can to make their physical educational environment as comfortable and supportive as possible in order for them to maximise their learning opportunities. The case remains that the majority of capital money spent on the school estate comes through the local authority and for this reason we must keep ahead of the game adapting and responding to change. I would like to wish you a most enjoyable

Blackpool Conference and please do not hesitate to speak to me or any other members of the Executive if there’s anyway you think we can improve the content or format of our next conference in Portsmouth on 28 November 2014. m

Peter Colenutt EBDOG National Chairman

Chairman’s Comment

New EBDOG National Chairman, Peter Colenutt.

Contributions on all aspects of Building Futures are welcome and should be sent to the editor at the Kent office. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy and reliability in Building Futures, the publishers can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by the contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. Copyright for all the material published in this journal remains with the publishers.

Building Futures is published byDMB Publishing Solutions Ltd19 Westgate Bay Avenue, Westgate-on-Sea, Kent CT8 8AH

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Chairman's Comment.indd 2 11/05/2014 15:01



National Audit Office

Establishing Free SchoolsThe Department launched its Free

Schools programme in June 2010. Free Schools are new

academies which are independent of local authorities, funded directly by the Department, and directly accountable to the Secretary of State through a funding agreement. Our report focused on the Department’s approach to selecting these Schools, the costs incurred, and early indications of the performance and oversight of open Schools.

We found that, by opening 174 Free Schools in three waves since 2010, with more in the pipeline, the Department had made clear progress in delivering a policy priority. It had improved its processes for assessing and selecting applications to open Schools incrementally from the first wave, where its processes had been developmental. Despite these improvements, important information on sites, parental demand and key staff remained limited during the selection process. In addition, cost estimates prepared at this stage were only indicative, primarily due to uncertainty over sites and their costs. As a result, consideration of cost was not fully integrated into the Department’s decisions about which applications to approve.

The Department’s selection decisions had also focused on individual Free Schools, more than on maximizing wider benefits. Its consideration of factors linked to wider departmental objectives had not, for example, affected the proportion of sSchools opening in the most deprived areas or areas of high or severe need for school places. Whilst 87 per cent of primary places in Free Schools were in districts forecasting high or severe need for extra places, only 19 per cent of secondary places in open Free Schools were in such areas.

The Department had been successful in opening Free Schools quickly and at relatively low costs. By using existing

properties and reducing building specifications and space standards, it had reduced construction costs incurred when opening Schools by 45 per cent on average. The average amount of extra financial support given to Schools before and after their opening was also lower than the equivalent support given to other types of newly-opened schools.

However, forecasting the total capital costs involved in acquiring and refurbishing sites proved difficult, with the latest costs for 60 per cent of Wave 2 and 3 Schools forecast to be higher than the indicative estimates prepared when these applications were approved. The Department was also facing a rising trend in these costs. Total capital costs per school place had risen on average by 35 per cent from Wave 1 to Wave 3 due to the location of more secondary schools in regions where property costs were high, and the inclusion of more expensive Special and Alternative Provision schools.

Once open, some Free Schools had not attracted as many pupils in their first year as they had planned. Overall, Schools had opened with three-quarters of their planned admissions. By the end of October 2013, 18 out of 25 Schools had been rated as “good” or above by Ofsted, with two rated as “inadequate”. Oversight by the Department and Agency of open Schools had evolved

over time but needed to develop further as the programme continued to grow. Investigations had already been held into financial management at two open Schools, Al-Madinah and Kings Science Academy.

Overall, the NAO concluded that, to date, the primary factor in decision-making had been opening Free Schools at pace, rather than maximizing value for money. The Programme’s success and value for money will depend on how Free Schools perform in the future. When choosing between applications to open Schools, the Department needed to do more to strengthen its analysis of how different portfolios of proposed Schools might contribute to its wider objectives. It should also increase the transparency of how it applies factors in decision-making by demonstrating their impact on its selection decisions. We also concluded that the Department needed to exert more control to contain the rising trend in its total capital costs, develop its framework for intervening in open Schools in response to emerging risks, and develop a more structured approach to applying the lessons from Schools it had opened so far.

While the Department considered that it had struck an appropriate balance between pace and value for money, it is seeking to address our recommendations in the latest waves of the programme. m

The National Audit Office published its report on the Department for Education’s programme for establishing Free Schools last December. Although our work focused on the Department, we are extremely grateful for the

help we received from local authorities who gave us

their views.

Public Accounts CommitteeOn 13 January 2014, the Committee of Public Accounts of the House of Commons met to question Department officials about the Free School programme, and the future challenges. The Committee is expected to publish its own report on the topic in due course.

NAO Article.indd 3 11/05/2014 15:04



Conference Hosts

Blackpool has seen some significant changes in recent times. With tourism still at its heart, this very traditional seaside resort has had to adapt and change to face the

economic and social patterns and demographics.

A Changing Landscape for a Traditional Seaside Town

There has been much to admire in the town over recent years, as it continues to strive to

improve facilities for all occupants of the town from the archetypal holiday guest to its very own residents, with newly constructed shopping centres, refurbished listed tourist attractions of the famous Blackpool Tower and Winter Gardens through to the demolition of 1960’s multi storey residential flats.

One very significant change in the town is no greater than the development of a new Central Business District, encompassing the Council’s own headquarters, which will accommodate around 750

council employees. This has changed the landscape in a deprived area of the town adjacent to Blackpool’s main train station on Talbot Road and leads to a more inviting and attractive approach into the town for visitors and businesses alike.

In the Council’s Children’s Services sector change has also continued over the last few years. The Council, together with government departments have invested in two new build secondary schools, a number of remodelling projects of Primary and Secondary schools, and a new build Primary, all developed to meet the needs and demands of the 21st Century. The education

estate is also fortunate to have been awarded four projects under the Priority Schools Building Programme, replacing old dilapidated facilities with schools following the baseline design principles.

The recent changes that have come in to force have had far-reaching implications for how schools respond to demand for places, who provides schools and how schools access support and challenge. Following the Education Act it is likely that almost every new school that opens will be an Academy or Free School. The devolving of local authority centrally retained funding to academies provides greater opportunities for

Blackpool’s Promenade, Tower Comedy Carpet.

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Conference Hosts

schools to commission support and challenge from a wider range of providers.

This has provided both opportunities and challenges for how the local authority reviews and focusses their responsibilities in relation to ensuring a sufficient supply of school places, school improvement and the support to vulnerable children. As the schools white paper states “in a more autonomous school system, local authorities have an indispensable role to play as champions of children and parents.” This role aligns itself with the wider role to develop effective and sustainable places.

Highfield Humanities CollegeThe new purpose-built Highfield Humanities College is a welcoming and exciting place for learning and,

with its wide open spaces, provides an outstanding 21st century learning space. Designed by architects Fielden, Clegg and Bradley Studios and constructed by the authorities LEP partner the Eric Wright Group.

The philosophy of flexibility has provided the students, staff and the local community with a challenging, inspirational space and encompasses the ethos that education should be transformational.

The project brief was commissioned by the Children’s Services School Organisation and Capital Team and required the redevelopment of an existing school to accommodate 1200 11-16 year old pupils and approximately 150 staff. The primary planning constraints related to the proximity of the neighbouring residential properties on two sides of the site. To alleviate these concerns

the final design was located well away from the site boundary.

From its external appearance – designed to represent a wave and set amongst the sand dunes to represent the original character of the area – the elegant design gives a positive impression to all who approach it and at the same time manages to blend into its local surroundings.

The building comprises a concrete frame and post tension slab construction in combination with steel frame for the double and triple height single storey elements. The transition between primary structures is discreetly concealed via an interlocking glazed tiling façade hung from a timber SIPs system. The relative simplicity of form coupled with continuous substrate minimised interface details and greatly aided

A Changing Landscape for a Traditional Seaside Town

Blackpool’s beautiful sandy beach and promenade with the famous tower in the distance.

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Conference Hosts

a high level of air tightness. The tiling façade visually sits upon a one storey brick plinth. The ‘heart’ of the school circulates through a large day lit space covered with 1300sqm of ETFE roofing.

The open aspect inside has a light and airy feel with the careful choice of colour schemes to ensure that the school has a clean minimalist effect which challenges the student to own the space and take responsibility for its care.

The interior layout is built upon the legacy of 4 school houses and the new school supports this with 8 learning zones of equal but adaptable accommodation arranged around a central space over two ‘private’ upper floors. The ground floor makes home to ‘public’ space drawing the community in and making accessible the specialist facilities throughout the core of the building.

The building also manages to merge a number of sustainable principles based on passivhaus design; high, but lean thermal mass, secure night time cooling and mixed mode natural ventilation are fundamental to the design. Appropriate materials have been carefully selected to provide a simple substrate for the substantial tiling façade while significantly minimising air permeability. The building has achieved a BREEAM very good rating.

Ian Evans Head Teacher states ‘Our vision for the building has been

Highfield Humanities College.

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Conference Hosts

realised; we have a school that accommodates a wide range of teaching and learning styles. It flexes to meet the needs of the teachers and learners and we know it can evolve with us as we enhance our teaching and learning in the future’.

St Mary’s Catholic College and Christ the King Primary SchoolSt Mary’s Catholic College was formed in its current format in 1975 with the sisters of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) being responsible for the education provision. The school was located in facilities owned by the Society and the head teacher was Sister Maureen Grimley who retired in 1984. The administration for the school was taken over in 1997 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster and in 1982 the school

merged with two former secondary modern schools to form the current school.

The school has 1200 pupils including a 6th form and a 210 primary school on role and it is the largest Roman Catholic secondary school in Lancashire.

The school was extensively remodelled as part of the BSF programme with 80% of the existing school being rebuilt and the remainder being remodelled and refurbished. It also allowed for the existing Christ the King Parish Church and Christ the King primary school to come together as one development on the site creating an all through school.

The Local Authority challenged the architects IBI Nightingale Associates to remodel an existing convent

school whist keeping the original façade. With the support of the School Organisation and Capital Team within Children’s Services the challenges faced by the team managed to exceed the schools expectations. Stephen Tierney Head Teacher states “The new buildings have had a massive impact on every aspect of our work and provision. The bright, comfortable and easy to navigate learning houses have been a pleasure to work in for both students and staff. There has been a positive impact on the climate for learning with students and their teachers able to focus on teaching and learning, in a pleasant, welcoming learning environment. Provision for students and staff at break and lunch has also been transformed. The high quality, professional provision has been welcomed by everyone.

St Mary’s Catholic College.

Blackpool.indd 7 11/05/2014 15:54



Conference Hosts

It might have been a hard journey to get through the build but the benefits and boost it has give the College has made it more than worthwhile.”

At the heart of the school is a central concourse, formed by utilising the existing 1950’s building which runs the length of the school and visually and physically links all the elements of the scheme together. Secondary school teaching accommodation is organised as five facility based learning houses; each designed to be flexible and interactive with three double sized classrooms located around a central double height presentation area.

These general learning areas are supported by specialist teaching nodes, including large open plan science laboratories, in and off the central concourse. These facilities

together with the single-storey primary school are located on the quieter eastern side of the site overlooking the schools extensive grounds.

Although the two schools are able to operate independently they share the same central facilities linked by the concourse and this enables movement in between the schools and the learning houses for both staff and pupils.

The single storey primary school and the faith centre occupy the north east part of the site and this has enabled close links to be retained with the local community. The design has sensitively encompassed the new Christ the King Roman Catholic Church which has given the church community the opportunity to expand into the primary school hall should the need arise.

Construction has taken place on a live campus which has required complex logistics and phasing plans together with temporary works to overcome the many challenges that faced the contractor.

The new school has achieved a Very Good BREEAM rating through the specification of materials with low embodied energy and the use of natural ventilation. The fabric of the existing building has been utilised to increase thermal mass and photovoltaic’s have been utilised to create renewable energy.

Blackpool Gateway AcademyBlackpool Gateway Academy is a brand new school constructed with Basic Need Funding within the heart of Blackpool’s South District following an identified need for additional primary places in the south of Blackpool. A collaborative

Blackpool Gateway Academy – front North elevation.

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approach has seen the school working closely with the local authority with children and staff from the beginning creating design ideas and choosing colour schemes while the children from the parent school, Westcliff Academy, chose the name for the new school.

The school is the south shore campus for an existing North Shore Westcliff Primary Academy and the existing Head Teacher of Westcliff has become the executive head for both schools.

The architects IBI Nightingales in conjunction with the School Organisation and Capital Team have created an effective learning environment with the community hub being at the heart of the school.

The architects were challenged to design a school to accommodate up to 420 pupils and approximately 60 staff. The school caters for children between the ages of 3-11 and will grow year on year to allow the school to expand naturally.

With its elliptical shape the curved design of the school took its inspiration from the coast and its location adjacent to Blackpool Football Club forms part of the striking improvement to the main access route to Blackpool. The location for the school was identified as a former brown field site and is the first to be located within the councils Bloomfield ward.

Multi-use classrooms have been designed with folding screens dividing the learning environments to allow for the spaces to be linked together when required. They have been furnished with flexible, mobile furniture to allow for a high flexibility of use.

The school has been designed as a two storey structure due to land limitations. This however has allowed for a central, double height atrium to be included which has provided a light airy space in the centre of school. There are also four separate ‘learning pods’ a specially designed

technology area which allows for crafts and cooking to be taught and a drama studio has also been included within the design.

This collaboration has resulted in a modern flexible space that will provide the best possible opportunities for excellent teaching and learning in a deprived area of Blackpool.

Aspire AcademyFollowing a decision taken by Blackpool’s Children’s Department to merge two existing secondary schools to rationalise the provision provided in the north of the town,

Blackpool was fortunate to receive funding under the Priority Schools Building Programme to enable a new school to be constructed on the site of one of the existing schools.

The Aspire Academy is one of the first to be constructed under the EFA guidelines and will house two schools one over three storeys for the pupils of the merged Bispham High and Collegiate schools and the other a single storey building for Highfurlong Special School. £10million has been set aside for the Secondary building with an additional £3-£4 million being set

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Conference Hosts

aside for the special school. The joint school will include technology rooms, specialist classrooms, science labs and a purpose built hydrotherapy pool for the special school.

Carillion are the appointed contractor under North West Batch 1 Priority Schools Building Programme and the new school is being funded under a capital grant due to the special school being co-located within the site.

The design follows the baseline designs and strategies for schools as set out by the PSBP programme. This is being overseen by a representative from the EFA who is project managing the scheme with consultants appointed by the Department of Education.

The new academy will be sponsored by the Fylde Coast Academies Trust which is a partnership between Hodgson School and Blackpool Sixth Form and is part of the existing Fylde Coast Teaching Alliance. The current head teacher of Hodgson Academy has been appointed as Executive Headteacher for the new build. John Topping, Acting head teacher at Collegiate High School comments that “The students, staff, parents and carers are looking forward to seeing a brand new school being constructed on the existing Collegiate site. The new school will bring together under one roof the combined heritage and traditions of two well established schools.” m

19 Westgate Bay Avenue, Westgate-on-Sea, Kent CT8 8AHTel: 01843 846649 � Fax: 01843 807853

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Conference News - Agenda

Blackpool Conference Agenda

The Hilton Hotel, Friday 16 May

8.30 am Registration and Coffee

9.30 am Bispham High School Gospel Choir

9.40 am Introduction – Cllr Taylor, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

9.45 am Welcome To Blackpool – Carl Baker, Deputy Director Children’s Services

9.55 am Elizabeth Jarman – Let’s Talk – looking at design from another angle

11.00 am Refreshment Break

11.30 am Workshop 1

12.00 pm Workshop 2

12.30 pm Lunch

1.30 pm John Clarke – Blackpool’s Pop Idol of the Year

1.40 pm Professor Andrew Thomas – Building Information Modelling

2.40 pm Refreshment Break

3.00 pm Chair of EBDOG

3.15 pm Mike Green – Director of Capital EFA

3.45 pm Rose Pennells – Basic Need and Capital Strategy DfE

4.15 pm Q&A Session

4.30 pm Conference Close – Ian Morris, Lliffe Service Manager School Organisation and Capital

Questions for DfE, EFA, Chair of EBDOG, Speakers and Workshop HostsPlease email one question you would like to ask at the Q&A session and a list will be compiled

before the event.Email to [email protected]

Workshops

Blackpool Collegiate Secondary/Highfurlong Special School delivery under Priority Schools Building Programme – Lead by Alison Chalmers EFA

School Capacity Returns – Lead by Shirley Parks EFA

Creating the Optimum Learning Environment - Lead by Adrian Swain and Caroline Paradise (IBI Nightingale)

S106 Agreements – Lead by Owen David Cumbria County Council

Blackpool Agenda.indd 11 11/05/2014 15:11



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Tribal Editorial.indd 12 11/05/2014 15:18



Capital Maintenance

A Four years after Sebastian James was appointed by Mr Gove to set out

how the country should tackle capital investment in schools we will shortly see one of his key recommendations completed. The Education Funding Agency will finish the largest condition survey of buildings commissioned in Europe in recent times. This programme will mean that the state of the country’s schools will be laid bare, a national picture not seen since the middle of the last decade when the then Labour government embarked on a similar exercise known as Asset Management Plans. It is an interesting comparison to note that local authority condition surveys were first completed in 2001 four years after Labour came to power in 1997. Here however the comparison with Asset Management Plans ends as these surveys have been commissioned and executed very differently.

The Education Funding Agency were given the go ahead to commission surveys in 2011 and they asked EBDOG representatives to assist them in advising on the pitfalls they might encounter. It soon became clear that to keep costs and scale down the new national surveys would be a stripped down version of the old condition survey that came out of the government circulars in April 2000. However they would keep some consistency with the way local authorities keep condition data by retaining the old judgements, ie condition grades A to D and Priority 1 to 3.

EBDOG advised the Education Funding Agency that local authorities’ approach to retaining condition data would be different.

The government abandoned requesting data in 2005 so local authorities would have adapted the standard method of collecting condition data to suit their own needs. However, key to the advice given was that if the national surveys could remain consistent to the old methodology of collecting data then there would be in Local Authorities a considerable amount of data that could be simply collected rather that re-commissioned, and this would save the government money.

Most local authorities understood that the old Asset Management Condition Surveys needed to serve three purposes.

•Firstlytherewasarequirementthattheconditionofallschoolsbereportedtogovernmentsothatthestateofthenation’sstockcouldbeunderstoodandthatrealisticdiscussionswiththeTreasurycouldbehad.Governmentwouldthenusethedatatomakefairallocationsofcapitaltolocalauthorities.

•Secondlylocalauthoritiesneededconditiondatatotargetfundingreceivedfromgovernmenttotheneediestandtocreateprogrammesofrepairwork.Conditionsurveysprovidebasedatatodirecttheseprogrammes.

•Thirdly,andsomemightarguemostimportantly,theyneededtoprovideaprofessionalopiniononthebuildingstoguidethemanagersofschools(whomightotherwisehaveverylittleknowledgeofbuildings)onhowtheyshouldprioritisetheirrepairandmaintenanceanddevolvedcapitalbudgets.

It is clear that the new national surveys have only the first of these objectives in mind. Any use they may be for the latter two will be incidental and the Educational Funding Agency have been very clear that they hope that local authorities, academies and free schools will continue to commission and use their own surveys to meet their own objectives.

As a result the national surveys grade buildings with a RAG rating and are not as detailed as the room by room and element by element method of the last decade. The new methodology can be downloaded from the Department for Education web site and keen school business managers and responsible body

Capital Maintenancethe

Inside Story

Gareth Simmons revisits the James review into school investment as one of its key recommendations nears completion.

Gareth Simmons Article.indd 13 11/05/2014 15:23



Capital Maintenance

officers would do well to have read this before the surveys are published.

It is questionable how many authorities will continue with condition surveys in the budget strapped environment they find themselves in. It will be difficult to justify the value for money arguments of re-surveying property if there is an up to date national survey in place, especially as the cost of condition surveys are a revenue expenditure and can’t be taken from the capital funding the government grants to local authorities. As a consequence EBDOG advised that the national data base will give better quality national data which is to be applauded but it does risk reducing the quality of information for local decision makers.

The Education Funding Agency initially estimated that only 20-30% of local authorities might have a current condition survey in place, however this rose to 40-50% when local authorities were requested to support the national database in early 2012. There was a rigorous validation process which included resurveying a 10% sample of local authority schools and using this sample to validate data against the new methodology. As a result only 80 or so local authorities had valid data and these had their surveys accepted in March 2013.

In total 8357 schools had valid local authority condition surveys in place which is 43% of the 19,384 establishments nationwide. However there remains the fact that this data has been collected against a different methodology from the new national condition surveys and so makes it hard to make comparisons between the types of survey. It is not, therefore, unexpected that in the end, ministers and the Treasury would rather have a clean data set that avoids inconsistent allocation of funding across the country.

As a consequence ministers took the decision in late in 2013 that all the schools in the local authority areas, where data had been submitted, will

be resurveyed to ensure a consistent data set. A National Audit Office report on the Education Funding Agency is critical of the agency for not completing the surveys in the allotted time and missing a key objective and blames inconsistent and inaccurate local authority data, noting that the programme will cost an additional £6m and delay it until August 2014.

What can be said from EBDOG’s involvement of the Education Funding Agency process is that the commissioning, managing and quality control of the surveys has been top rate with no stone left unturned in ensuring that the information on the national data system is as correct as possible.

EBDOG have been asked all the way if the process and methods are robust and sound and little more could have been done. However, local authorities who have been responsible for these surveys in the past know it isn’t that simple.

I recall way back in 2002, when the government were auditing local authority surveys before they accepted them, I organised a training session for our surveyors, who were two national surveying companies. I used the Government auditors to run the session who came from a third national company. So there in one room I had a collective group of professional surveyors all supposedly familiar, trained and experienced in the national methodology of classifying condition defects in schools. At the end of the day we put on the table photographs of a school roof and asked them to grade it without discussion and mark down their answers secretly. You have probably guessed what happened haven’t you? It is a true fact that no two professionally qualified surveyors had written the same answer.

Condition surveys are always just subjective judgements based on the information that can be inspected on the day and usually a surveyor will have limited time to make

those judgements. When it comes to the school roof, it is likely the judgements will be made looking at aerial photographs. So however comparable the national surveys are they will remain subjective and challengeable.

The Education Funding Agency has done a considerable amount to limit errors that could get built into the data. One of the good parts about the new system is that the estimates of costs are not made by the person doing the inspection. These are embedded into the software, calculated from the surveyor’s estimate of area.

Each surveying company set out in their proposals comprehensive methods for the training of each surveyor and the quality assurance checking has also been extensive.

EBDOG can confirm that the Education Funding Agency will have done all they can to make the surveys as robust as possible, but we still advised that there is a risk that schools and responsible bodies might challenge the results, and may indeed have other surveyor opinion to dispute it.

The condition surveys will be published on a national web based data system which has been developed based on systems in place in local authorities across the country. Access to the data will be restricted to users based on who they are, so responsible bodies acting for groups of schools will have greater access to data than individual schools. However, it is unclear at this stage whether benchmarking data will be available for schools and responsible bodies to compare themselves with other schools, other areas of the country or against the national average.

Once the national database is public, government decisions still need to be made on how funding will be allocated based on the data. Single academies and free schools currently bid into a single national maintenance pot.




Capital Maintenance

This arrangement, by the Education Funding Agencies own admission, doesn’t entirely focus funding to the need and it will be interesting to see how the surveys are used by the agency to serve this large and growing proportion of schools.

Will the surveys mean individual allocations directly to academies and free schools based on their survey need, perhaps meeting P1 or P2 levels? Or will there remain a pooling of funding – and if so, is it realistic that this is at a national level?

Further, there are questions of how responsible bodies might be allocated funding and if academies and free schools remain a separate system, or will ministers prefer a single allocation system possibly meaning individual allocations to schools? There is much that remains uncertain before local planning can commence with any certainty.

Of course, the big question still remains… What is the backlog maintenance in the country and will there be realistic budgets to reduce it or will it continue to build up? The press remains full of speculation, as it remains a political issue. It is this reason, I guess, that the data obtained so far has been kept close to the Education Funding Agency’s chest.

The Treasury undertook its comprehensive spending review last year and the Education Funding Agency presented the data they had in April 2013. At this point the agency had 58% of the surveys complete and will have used this to extrapolate to a realistic estimate of the P1-3 liability.

At the same time the Labour party released a statement based on a collection data from 89 local authorities, obtained from freedom of information. This estimated

the backlog maintenance at £3.6bn, which was dismissed by a department spokeswoman as “nonsense”, although Sebastian James himself said in 2011 that the previous Partnership for Schools estimate of £8bn was understated and could be as high as £22bn, adding that £1.6bn is needed to “tread water”.

However there is no point in speculating, the picture will be known in the summer and no doubt there will be some political debate about it. Then, when the dust settles, we will get on with the task of using what resources are available to keep our school stock as serviceable as possible. m

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k2halfpage.indd 1 4/10/2014 5:28:43 PM




MBE

When

met the Royal Corgis!Friday 22nd November 2013 was the day I collected my MBE award from HM Queen at Windsor Castle. The award was made for my ‘services to education’ as National Chairman of the ‘Education Building Development Officers Group’ (EBDOG) over six years. It was also the day of the National EBDOG Conference at Twickenham and it was strange to miss it after so many years.

I first received notification on 10th May, on my return from the EBDOG Conference in Tameside,

that I was being put forward for the award but had to keep details secret until 15th June – and this was a challenge as I told no one apart from my wife; not even my children, wider family or work colleagues!

In the lead up to the award ceremony I received various mailings about the opportunity for photos, DVDs and even commemorative ties, mugs and

other peculiar items! I also received a very large envelope that contained an official ‘warrant’ personally signed by HM Queen and Prince Philip that I am still struggling to get framed.

The morning of 22nd November started with an early departure from home and drive up to Windsor Castle where we had a special car sticker to allow us to drive through No Entry signs and park on the Long Walk on the approach to Windsor Castle. After a much needed warming

Graham's MBE.indd 16 11/05/2014 15:29



MBE

coffee and sticky bun - to calm my nerves, honest - we went through three security checks before being admitted to the Castle where we deposited our coats, phones and cameras.

As a recipient, I was whisked away to a room where we were offered water or apple juice before we were humorously briefed by a very charismatic Colonel who certainly reassured us about the ceremony.

Amongst others, I managed to chat to the designer of the security fingerprint system for the London Olympics and it was certainly an eclectic mix of people and reasons for nominations.

We were called through in groups of 13 and our names and order of presentation to HM Queen were checked four more times. As we waited at the side of the room before being called in, I noticed the Queen’s

throne and had a chuckle at the sight of her handbag innocuously sitting on it. From a reliable source, I gather it is always empty! As I was called into the room, I proudly walked to a spot where I had to wait until my name was read out and I then had to bow and walk up to the dais to have the medal pinned onto me.

The Queen then asked why I had received the award and then made a further comment about education which made me chuckle. I then said I was extremely humble to receive the award and she gave me a huge smile which my family noticed so that was special. After shaking her hand and saying “Thank you Maam (as in Jam) I left the room and had my medal put into a case before re-joining the main hall at the rear. After the ceremony ended, I met my family who had been waiting patiently for almost two hours and we then enjoyed a short tour of some of the state rooms before queuing for photos!

As we left the Castle we took a few more photos and then went for a celebratory meal before going to see my Mum and show her the award.

All in all, a very special and memorable day I will never forget and I feel very honoured to have even been nominated and even more for being awarded it. I want to wish all my good friends I made through EBDOG a very successful future and pass on my grateful thanks to all the many people who congratulated me – I even gather through the wonders of technology and a good colleague that I even featured in the new Chairman’s address at Twickenham. My support and promotion of EBDOG will certainly continue and whilst I am now in a different role at West Sussex County Council you can never say never about returning! m

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Graham's MBE.indd 17 11/05/2014 15:29



Academy

T he brief for this new school was to provide a series of multi-functional learning spaces

defined by how they are used, rather than what shape they are or how they are labelled. The design of the building needed to emphasise use of space and natural light and enable the ‘blurring’ of boundaries between ‘indoor’ and ‘outdoor’ learning. Additionally that the school facilities should be available for use by the community.

The Cabot Learning Federation’s vision was for the school to be run as a Teaching School and the accommodation needed to reflect a ‘Master Class Suite’ for pre and post graduates, new and experienced teachers to observe learning in a variety of modes, without adversely impacting on that learning.

The flexible accommodation is predominantly open plan particularly at Key Stage 1 and is designed to encourage creativity and individual learning. A ‘classroom’ is not defined by boundaries and resource locations but by how the children interact with a space.

Wallscourt Farm Academy is a new 2FE 420 place primary academy provided to meet demand for school places arising from a new housing development on the border between South Gloucestershire and Bristol. The primary academy is part of the Cabot Learning Federation and cost £4.8million.

Wallscourt Farm

Academy

Exterior view: design and build by Balfour Beatty (formerly Cowlins). The total scheme cost £4.8 million.

South Glos 1.indd 18 11/05/2014 15:56



Academy

Some of the ‘must have’ elements of the brief included

•theabilitytoopenupexternalwallssothatthelearningenvironmentcouldmoveseamlesslyfrominsidetooutside;

•awowfactorentrancewithglasswalltothelearningspacebeyond;

•floortoceilinglandscapewindows;

•bright,vibrantcolours(noMagnolia!!)

•everywherehastheabilitytogetwetorbepainted,scrubbedandsparklinglikenew

•unisexnon-agespecifictoilets•accessibility

Some of the nice to have’s which have also been included

•introducingnoveltiesandvariety•useofreflectivesurfacesand

mirrors•movingwater•curvedwalls

Whilstsomeoftheaspirationssoundcostly,thebriefwasnotaboutextravagance,orexpensivematerialsbutaboutaconceptforlearningfromeverydayfeaturesofthebuildingitself.

What was not important•largewalk-instoragecupboards•definedroomswithpre-

conceivedfunctions(anyspacecouldbealearningspaceorastaffspace)

•physicalbarriers(otherthanschoolboundaryandlearner/communityboundariestoensuresafeguarding.

Theresultingbuildingisabrightandopenlearningenvironment. m

Reception Learning Space.(Yes, that is a slide!)

Flexible Learning Space.Unisex toilet

area.

South Glos 1.indd 19 11/05/2014 15:57



School Projects

Three very different building projects have

recently been completed by South Gloucestershire

Council, one in the rural village of Wick, one is

the semi-rural village of Hambrook and the other in a more sub-urban area of Barley Close, in North

East Bristol.

Where these projects unite, is in their value for

money and the significant change made to the lives of the pupils and staff of

these schools.

Despite the harsh economic climate these

projects demonstrate the positive impact that

intelligent practical design and close contractual

relationships can have on the operation of a

school at the same time as delivering a low cost

solution.

Three of the Best!Wick CE Primary School • Barley Close Primary School

Hambrook Primary School

Wick CE Primary School is a single form of entry, 210 place primary school in a rural location and had a number of condition and suitability related issues:

Accessibility was a particular issue as the school serves a local community and with one member of the teaching staff in a wheelchair, movement and access around the school was poor. Particular difficulties included an undersized staffroom, two externally accessed old temporary classrooms and an ICT suite located on the first floor with no lift. Additionally the Library was located in the school entrance foyer and there was no food technology provision.

This project was identified as a priority through the former Primary Capital Programme, however the Council honoured its commitment to complete the work, after the funding stream was stopped.

This project with a construction cost of £780,000 offered excellent value for money and delivered

• a fully accessible four classroom extension,• a new full sized staff room, • a library, food technology room and ground floor ICT suite.

Creating an inclusive single school building which is fully accessible brings many benefits and ensures all staff and children have access to good quality and usable facilities. Removing inequalities created by an outdated, unsuitable building immediately improves operational management so that the school can concentrate on providing a good learning environment.

Wick CE Primary School Extension.

Wick CE Primary School

South Glos 2.indd 20 11/05/2014 15:58



School Projects

The project at Barley Close Primary School has a different emphasis and the driver for change is the increasing demand for primary places in the area.

Due to the complexities of site access, constraints and of course limited levels of funding, the project to increase the school from 1FE to 2FE is taking place in phases.

The project involves the provision of classrooms for the 210 additional places. However, the most interesting and challenging phase of the work has been the effective delivery of a suitable sized hall space.

The existing hall being quite small, a key concern for the school was the impact of the increase in the numbers of children on kitchen, dining and activity space and in particular how to accommodate and feed twice the number of children in the lunch time available? A number of issues needed to be addressed including the capacity of the kitchen and servery area and the physical capacity of the hall to accommodate children at tables to eat their lunch.

As all who work in schools will appreciate, halls are multi-use spaces and utilised for most of the day, so storage is important as is the need for speedy setting out of the hall for dining needs. It was agreed that a new type of dining furniture that was very easy and quick to set out and put away would be purchased to support the project. The design selected can be used as tables for dining, as desks for exams or as benches for performances. A truly flexible system.

The existing school building also benefited from an internal courtyard next to the hall, which had previously been converted into an ICT suite, and dividing the two areas was the old external curtain wall. The hall was therefore able to be extended through utilising this space. The curtain wall was removed, a corridor designed surrounding the hall and a new roof was provided. To further improve the space, a flexible sliding acoustic wall divider was installed so the hall could be used as two discrete rooms. All of this was achieved for a construction cost of £170,000.

The larger hall provides an effective space to feed all the children comfortably, accommodate the whole school for assemblies and performances’ provides flexibility for two small halls/rooms for activities and pupils and staff do not need to go through the hall to access other parts of the school.

Wick CE Primary School

Barley Close Primary School

Barley Close School – extended hall.

South Glos 2.indd 21 11/05/2014 15:59



School Projects

Wick CE Primary School project – designed by South

Gloucestershire Council Property Services Design Team and main

contractor Beard.

Barley Close Primary – designed by South Gloucestershire Council Property Services Design Team, main contractor – K P Wilton.

Hambrook Primary School project – designed by South

Gloucestershire Council Property Services Design team, main contractor Speller Metcalfe.

Hambrook Primary School, a single form of entry, 210 place primary school lies to the north of Bristol in a village within the Green Belt. The school has Grade II Listed buildings and has required a thoughtful approach to improving the accommodation to provide a modern extension to ensure 21st Century facilities.

A number of the original poor quality school buildings have been removed including a tin hut classroom, a separate ICT block and other temporary buildings. The first phase £3,500,000 extension was recently completed in February 2014 and a second phase of work is underway refurbishing the Victorian building which is due to complete in June 2014.

The extension provides a new accessible main entrance, a main hall and kitchen which will be able to be used by the community, three new classrooms and other ancillary teaching and administrative areas.

In view of its village location, the design approach involved keeping the overall height of the building as low as possible. However the site presented considerable constraints with differing levels of external play areas, sloping countryside at the rear of the school and the ‘Village Green’ open space on the other, to the extent that the new accommodation has been designed into the slope of the land. The new classrooms and hall make the most of the location and a lift has been provided to ensure full access to internal and external facilities at the different levels.

The phased programme delivered by South Gloucestershire Council in partnership with the school has allowed provision to continue on this constrained site and offered excellent value for money and the work will be fully completed in September 2014.

Hambrook Primary School

Hambrook School new hall and extension.

South Glos 2.indd 22 11/05/2014 15:59



Outdoor Education Centre

Designed and implemented by Hampshire Council’s in-house Property Services, the centre

is set in 3.7 hectares of Hampshire woodland.

The £4.8 million facility is the result of innovative partnership working between Hampshire County Council, Rushmoor Borough Council and Black Water Valley District Scouts.

Funding was secured from the central government Co-Location Fund. It was completed in September 2012, and welcomes children, school groups, and holiday clubs as well as corporate days, conference and meeting facilities.

The ambition of Runways End is to inspire and develop young people and the design of the centre aims to reflect this goal of educational attainment and environmental awareness. The cedar clad buildings are connected by fully accessible pathways which will weather naturally, providing an environment for activity, nurture and education.

Naturally ventilated, with a biomass boiler providing hot water for the site, and rainwater harvesting to

promote sustainable drainage, the design ensures minimum impact on the surrounding ecology and woodland setting.

The new activity and education facilities include a new multi use hall with an indoor climbing wall;

a camping facilities building; a residential building and dining hall; together with a canoe store and a refurbished administration building.

The Centre has high and low rope activities, caving experience and an abseiling and climbing wall.

Runways End

Runways End Outdoor Education Centre in Aldershot is one of the largest and newest outdoor centres in the country.

Hants Council.indd 23 11/05/2014 15:48



Activities on offer at Runways End support the school curriculum, help participants work on their social and personal skills and all the instructors are chosen for their ability to inspire and support young people. The Centre has recently been shortlisted for a prestigious Civic Trust Award which recognises the very best in architecture, design, planning and landscape. ‘It was particularly satisfying to see demonstrations of the wonderful facilities on the site being used by young people showing off their prowess at scaling the climbing tower and then abseiling down it, and their problem-solving skills in making their way through the raised wires and platforms.’ m

Alex Crawford, Mayor of Rushmoor

Hants Council.indd 24 11/05/2014 15:49



Regeneration

A t the heart of this activity the Partnership is also contributing to the Council’s

aim to increase educational attainment across the area, partly through the modernisation of primary school provision. In this context the strategic plan remains to replace 15 junior and infant schools with ten newly built or remodelled primary schools.

Four of these new schools are now complete incorporating ‘fully integrated’ extended services for children and young families. Bishop Wilson, the latest, opened in September 2013 and featured in the last edition of Building Futures.

The programme is now entering its third phase comprising two brand new 2.5 FE primary schools; Fordbridge and Coleshill Heath. Morgan Sindall were successful and have now been appointed to build the schools; work will commence on site in June 2014.

Harnessing a budget of £17m the schools will be striking. The aim is to create a high quality, inclusive and varied environment which will

enable the facilitation of teaching and learning styles in modern flexible settings. This includes encouraging outdoor learning through seamless interactivity with the external environment.

Providing easy access for parents, teachers, parents and the wider community, they will also provide a safe learning environment for pupils, which will help them make the most of their formative years. As with the four previous schools they will have wraparound, nursery and community facilities that will put them at the heart of their neighbourhoods and the regeneration process.

During the works Morgan Sindall will be tracking the economic impact the development will have in the local area. Working with the local authority, additional spending in supply chains and in ancillary services, such as retail, will be recorded.

They will both open to their pupils at the beginning of the new academic year, September 2015.

The final phase, comprising the remodelling of four schools, is currently at the design stage. The team have created an early-stage education brief, which incorporates a process of discussion regarding the types of teaching and learning activities that should be taking place within the schools.

A team of educationalists, the school, architects and the wider project team are currently working to ensure the design of the buildings dovetails with each school’s unique development planning process. The challenge for the team is to transform the old existing buildings into schools that can deliver future teaching and learning processes within a modern and innovative setting. m

Regenerating North Solihull

The regeneration of North Solihull continues

to be a priority for Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. Despite the

downturn in the economy the North Solihull

Partnership ‘regeneration vehicle’ has remained

robust, albeit curtailed.

Artist’s impression ofFordbridge Primary School project.

Solihull Council.indd 25 11/05/2014 15:52



Compliance & LegislationThe official journal of the

Education Building Development Officers Group

Compliance & Legislation

With the ever-changing directives from government, along with the James review, we keep hearing the same point asked; are we reaching our responsibilities for schools?

W ith additional placement programmes and schools capital allocation from DfE, we need

to consider the property maintenance of not only existing schools, but new builds and upcoming projects. This is the time that we need to support and encourage those responsible to seek the advice and coaching of literature available.

n This ensures our educational properties are fully equipped to handle and manage all issues that may arise.

n With the headteachers being responsible for their properties adherence; not only ensuring the safety of the property, but also the pupils and staff.

n With innovative planning and building solutions, these need to be correlated to the property maintenance and management of each individual site.

DMB can deliver this in the form of informative handbooks for the headteachers, bursars and so on, which can involve the need for an additional resource, when these are currently limited or overstretched.

With legislation in place, there are many wall charts and planners we can offer to cover all necessary scopes, in a clear and concise manner. This minimises the need to seek extra resources, ensuring delivery of deadlines, checks, and inspections, in a fresh and simple approach.

These wall charts range from Health & Safety, Preventative Maintenance, Servicing & Testing to Energy wall charts for children, plus many more including bespoke planners and charts. m

A range of attractive, informative wall planners from DMB Publishing Ltd.

For more information call us on 01843 846649.

Rules for Schools.indd 26 11/05/2014 15:43



SEN

BBuildings last longer than governments and policies. They last longer than:

• the changes in educational theories and curricula;

• the different teaching methods and technologies;

• the head teachers and their varied approaches;

• the fashions in architectural styles and the developments in construction and services;

• the changing circumstances and needs of staff, children, families and their communities.

Buildings need to be flexible and adaptable in order to facilitate and accommodate changes; evolving over time. Buildings that are not well-maintained suffer, as do their occupants; often with a negative impact on the teaching and learning.

Buildings that are too rigid or unsuitable may be closed or demolished which can be a huge waste of resources. Some buildings and their sites, if suitable, can be converted for school use or into a school. Buildings should be sustainable for whole-life cost, energy efficiency and for social use.

All school buildings and their sites should be accessible and suitable for everyone who will use them; including pupils with SEN; disabled pupils, staff and visitors; providing for needs as they change over time.

Over the last 10-15 years Local Authorities have built much good quality accessible school accommodation for pupils with SEN or disability including for those who require a high level of support. Much of this was made possible with the generous government funding available at the time. That is over, with the recession and change of government.

DFE policy reduced new school building floor areas by 5% for primary, 15% for secondary and up to 20% for special schools in 2012.

DFE formulae reflected this with reduced gross internal floor area for primary and secondary school buildings

School building base costs have been set at £1113/m2 (out-turn cost of £1465/m2)

The standard Baseline School Designs issued have limited SEN provision only.

Improving Provision for Pupils with Special Educational Needs

or Disability

We live in interesting times – crisis or opportunity as we approach ‘Austerity’?

Gill Hawkins reports [email protected]

The Children and Families Act was passed in March 2014.

The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice is due in September. Its draft sets out:

• SEN under four broad ranges*:• Communication &

Interaction• Cognition & Learning, • Social, Mental & Emotional

Health (no longer Behaviour Emotional & Social Development)

• Sensory and/or Physical

• LAs are responsible for: • consulting with pupils

and families for special educational, health and social care (EHC) plans and for making provision

• working jointly with partners & placing contracts for services

• taking a strategic review of EHC provision in relation to the local context and resources.

• Schools, colleges and pupil referral units should make high quality provision for all pupils with SEN (with/without EHC plans).

• Most pupils with SEN or disability are supported in mainstream schools. A minority of pupils are supported in special schools.

• LAs and schools are expected to use their core funding.

The impact on school premises is unknown - Will more services need to use school premises?* N. B. Provision, access and design aspects vary for each SEN in the range.

The previous article outlined: • Local Authority (LA) responsibilities for pupils with SEN or disability

under: The Children & Families Act, Equality Act and The School Premises Regulations.

• A strategy for school projects to be Practical, Accessible, Safe & Suitable• A table of SEN, support & room areas

SEN Article.indd 27 11/05/2014 15:45



SEN

Many schools have become Academies or Free Schools and so not under the control of LAs

How will all of this affect the quality of provision and school environments that support pupils with SEN or disability?

Additional Area for SENThere is a whole matrix of SEN with diverse provision and use of school accommodation.

Pupils with SEN or disability need additional area for:

• learning and mobility aids• specialist support & teaching • practical & sensory activities• physical movement & activity • storage of resources & aids • health, social or care needs

Primary mainstream schools: The DFE reduced gross internal floor area for a two form entry (2FE) primary school is 2072m2; (N. B. It was 2230m2 in Building Bulletin 99 in 2007 & 1919m2 in the Revised Area Guidelines in 2002).

Compare this with existing schools with many SEN pupils:

• Two 2FE schools, built in 1989 and 2003, have 1 small group room for every two classrooms (45-54m2) and a basic area of 2088m2, & 2082m2 respectively; both have a nursery (219m2, & 197m2); one has a resourced provision of 155m2; and total areas are 2307m2, & 2434m2.

• A 2FE school, built in 2001, has one small room (12m2) for every two classrooms (57m2), a large nursery, a SEN unit and community facilities; giving a total floor area of 2800m2. So, extra area is required for SEN.

Primary SEN/support can be:• General teaching spaces

• for small class groups 40-54m2

• for 25-30 pupils 54-60m2 • for more pupils with SEN/

disability &/ greater support 60-70m2

• Practical spaces 40-70m2,• Other SEN/support:

• Large medical room 20-30m2

• Small and medium-sized group rooms 8-20-m2 & 20-40m2

• SEN resource base 24m2 – 64m2

• 2 SEN offices 8-10m2, store 4-8m2

• Various SEN facilities 45-180m2

• Resourced Provision 90-270m2 • SEN/support unit 180-405m2 • External space 50-150m2

(N.B. SEN & pupil numbers vary; some schools have all these or equivalent).

Secondary mainstream schools: The DFE reduced gross internal floor area for a 1200 place secondary school is 8610m2.

(N.B. It was 9858m2 in Building Bulletin 98 in 2006 and 9307m2 in Revised Area Guidelines in 2002).

It sets 6.3m2 per pupil aged 11-16 and 7m2 per student at Post 16).

Pupils are larger, puberty can occur earlier; so more pupils are of adult size and pupils are of diverse ethnicity as well. More adults work in schools (7.5-10m2 per adult in offices).

Concern on overcrowding or health and safety (H&S) exists. The occupancy of classes or schools can be reduced for SEN but school places are lost. Some schools have many pupils with SEN, and other pupils with additional needs (e.g. English as an additional language/ gifted & talented). Additional area is required to ensure adequate provision.

Secondary SEN/support can be:• General teaching spaces

• for small class groups 45-52m2

• for 25-30 pupils 55-58m2 • for more pupils with SEN/

disability &/ greater support 58-64m2

• for more pupils with SEN/disability support, practical activity 64-70m2

(N.B. Such large spaces may also

impede teaching and supervision). • Larger practical spaces:

• Science 90m2, 108m2 • ICT 64m2, 70m2; • Art 93m2,114m2 • Food Technology

90m2 108m2

• Design Technology 103m2 121m2

• SEN / support spaces:• 1 classroom: learning support• 1 classroom: behaviour

support • SEN base 24m2

2 offices 8m2 store 8m2

• Small and medium sized group rooms 10-24-m2 & 25-48m2

• Other SEN/support spaces: • Various SEN facilities

48-168m2 • Resourced provision

96-288m2

• SEN/support unit 192-432m2 • External space 60-180m2

(N.B. SEN & pupil numbers vary; some schools have all these or equivalent).

Special schoolsSpecial classes or schools can:

• be integrated or co-located with mainstream schools with shared spaces such as dining

• be built on a separate site,• have resourced provision or SEN

units for a particular SEN • have separate respite and/or

residential accommodation.

Over time LAs have built larger special schools for practical specialist or vocational spaces and therapy & support spaces.

Building Bulletin 102 (2007) was generous, so a reduced floor area of 5-10% could be made; but reducing 15-20% may limit access, curriculum, support, therapies and have H&S risks. An Analysis of Special SchoolsAbout 1050 special schools can be grouped as set out:

A: Behaviour Emotional Social Difficulty/Social Mental &

SEN Article.indd 28 11/05/2014 15:45



SEN

Emotional Health (18%)* Separate provision is made (& at key-stages) with social support, therapy & activity spaces.

B: Moderate to Severe SEN (49%)* Schools cater for a particular SEN or broad range of SEN (most pupils are ambulant) & have a sensory, practical or vocational approach.

C: Moderate, Severe & Profound

SEN <50% profound SEN (20%)*

Most pupils have moderate -severe SEN; pupils with profound SEN have resource bases, support and therapy e.g. hydrotherapy.

D: Severe & Profound SEN with >50% Profound SEN (13%)* Often 1 class SLD/PMLD; 1class SLD/ASD per year / key-stage with therapy, support & larger hydrotherapy.

Refer to the Special Schools Table.

The area per pupil varies widely:It is higher for smaller schools or for greater needs and lower for larger schools and for moderate needs.

As an average percentage % or gross internal floor area (GIFA).Teaching area = 43% (36-53%); Teaching storage = 7% (5-10%); Other support spaces = 20-22%; Circulation = 24% (AB22% CD 24%);Walls= 3-4%; and Plant=1-2%.

Special school costs LAs require sufficient capital and revenue funding for:

• additional qualified staff,• upgrading mainstream• creating SEN spaces by re-

modelling classrooms and by building small extensions.

Small extensions have a high cost/m2 due to the proportion of roof and walls to floor area; but overall they are effective.

Special schools, by their nature are more costly to build. Their basic costs are higher than those for mainstream schools:

• Range A&B: 10% more due to more robust materials and security

• Range C&D: 25% more due to the above, support and therapy.

Economy or false economy?Spaces must be fit for purpose even if economies are made.

Reduced area or funds risk: • Ofsted reducing the number of

pupils in teaching spaces• Small teaching or support spaces

that limit curriculum activities, access and support

• Restricted access for pupils using wheelchairs for activities

• Long narrow corridors giving poor access & poor behaviour

• Small toilet changing spaces with H&S issues for support staff

• Inadequate storage creating clutter, distraction, lack of security, health & safety risks,

• Soft play and sensory rooms being too small for safe use

• Poor materials and acoustics e.g. an unusable science room

• Hydrotherapy pools too small for some physiotherapy work.

Efficiencies can be made by:

• Strategic local planning • for resourced provision, units,

or co-located special schools • for all-age schools with

one hydrotherapy pool or for sports halls with local community use

• Building & site appraisals

• Two-storey buildings with fire safety lifts are more efficient than single storey buildings

• Surveys avoid extra costs later

• Clarifying the curriculum• Is the approach approved?• What spaces are required to

support the different levels of learning and diverse needs?

• Check timetable efficiency • Can spaces be used flexibly?• Can a few subjects be taught

in one space, check H&S risks?

• Try to limit under-occupancy

• Briefing and consultation• Research, decide, record

& audit decisions & limit changes

• Consult users; prioritise ‘needs and wants’& check if mistaken

• Seek feedback and advice.

(Continued)

Special School CostsSchool Basic Cost 3Q2007 2011*

Mainstream 1300 1550*

Special: A, B 1500 1775*

Special: C, D 1700 2025*

A guide cost for new special schools:= basic cost x gross internal floor area x

location factor x a factor of 1.5.Basic costs exclude fees, external works,

ICT, furniture, fitting and equipment, abnormals and fees.

(For refurbishment use 70% new-build)

Examples of High Cost Elements

ABSports hall 372m2 with ancillary

spaces = 500m2 £500,000@Q07.

CDSmall hydrotherapy pool: 6x4m 24m2 pool, surround & changing rooms = 150m2 £350,000@3Q07

CDLarge hydrotherapy pool: 60m2

pool, changing rooms etc. = 350m2 £825,000 @3Q07

CDMulti-use games area and sensory

garden £300,000@3Q07

Indicative costs as a % basic cost

Primary Secondary

ICT (cabling) 1-2% 1-2%

Furniture Fittings and Equipment Fixed/Loose

C/D 13%(37%/63%)

A/B: 10%(40%/60%)C/D: 20%(31%/69%)

ExternalWorks

24% 22%

Abnormals 5% 5%

Fees: 15% total construction & FFE.

The difference between tender and final cost can be 5-40% (average 22%) due to

briefing, site works and abnormal.

Figures are rounded and are indicative as an illustrative guide only. *estimated

SEN Article.indd 29 11/05/2014 15:45



SEN

Assessing a school project

What is the quality of the EHC provision & accommodation?

•Whatistheprojectpurpose?Whatpupil&staffneedsexist?

• Is there coherence between the information shown & its purpose?

• Does it do what it says it will do?

• Isitfitforpurpose?IsitPractical

Accessible,SafeandSuitable?• Are the school building and

grounds suitable for the purpose?

• Are there a sufficient number and type of suitable spaces to support the special educational, health and social care provision?

•Isthereefficientplanning?Isbestuseofspaceismade?

• Check the accommodation schedules, occupancy, functions room size, proportion & layout

• Is circulation well-planned with effective corridor widths,

travel distances and room relationships?

•Howdoesthearrangementordesignsupporttheneedsofdiversepupils,staffandvisitors?

• Is there access for the pupils to information; curriculum and social activities; and the school physical environment, inside and outside?

• Does it comply with regulations, good practice, health & safety?

• Is it attractive and user-friendly?

• Are materials & services suitable?

• Is there value for money i.e. for whole-life cost and sustainability?

High quality EHC provision requires the support of high quality school spaces which have an adequate area. In turn, continuity of sufficient capital and revenue funding for LAs is required from government departments for EHC provision to be successful.

Be positive – Think about the words we use and turn them around

Disable Able,Enable

Impaired BePrepared

Difficulty Makeeasy, Facilitate

Special Specialist

Need Provide,Give

Incapacity BuildCapacity

Unstable Support

Challenging Worthwhile, Inspiring

Data for a Diverse Range of Special Schools

SEN

Phase of Education

LocalAuthority

Datebuilt

No. ofPupils

GIFAArea/pupil

% Circu-lation

Notes: Special schools may have under / over provision

NURSERY –N PRIMARY –P

A New WoodlandsP CL-PRU NB

London B.Lewisham

1999 40 1154 29 30Share dining. External social 300m2 Adventure play & MUGA 750m2

B Columbia GrangeN P,SLD,ASD NB

Sunderland 2002 65 2254* 35* 15* Internal courtyard 6mx6m

C Henry TyndaleN P RNBE

Hampshire 2002 108 2443 23 32 H: pool 6x4m

Shepherds DownN P RNBE

Hampshire 2003 130 2660 20 20 H: pool 6x4m

Bishops woodN P CL-P NB

Oxfordshire 2002 21 750 36 17* Share dining, no hydrotherapy

Springfield N P CL -P 2FE NB

Oxfordshire 2004 61 1850* 30* 26* Integrated H: pool 5x5m

D Stephen HawkingN P NB

L B Tower Hamlets

1996 72 2110 29 24Built to BB77 H: 4x5m* NOR 90 pupils and extension built since

Oakdale /AcornN P CL-P NB

Tameside 1996 100 3700 37 30 H: 4x5m Inclusive autism base

WatergateNP CL-S NB

London B.Lewisham

2003 90 4060 45 25 2 storeys split level. H: 6 x10m*

Lady Zia WernherN P RNBE

Luton 2004 69 2150* 31* 23* H: 5x10m plinth wall, ramp, steps

OrchardN P NB

Sandwell 2007 128 4140 32 23* H: 6x10m with trainer pool

SEN Article.indd 30 11/05/2014 15:45



SEN

SECONDARY – S P16 = Post 16 Base

A CornfieldS RNBE

West Sussex 2003 48 1400 29 33 Small rooms; Courtyard 7x11m*

Phoenix S NB

Lincoln 2002 60 2195 37 16NOR 66 - extra 6 pupils in KS2 base Sports Barn Hall 327m2

Springwell DeneS R/ RNBE

Sunderland 2002 61 2815 46 202 storeys. Sports hall 315m2 Adventure play 50m2

B Castle GreenS - MLD/BESD NB

Sunderland 2001 96 3980 41 222 storeys. Sports 545m2 Arts 150m2 salon (54) shop(60) garage(84)

Foxhollies S- CL –S SLD NB

Birmingham 2006 67 1905* 28* 27*2 storeys. Share dining & music Own Performing Arts Hall 125m2

Braidwood S-CL S HI NB

Birmingham 2003 68 1610* 24* 20*2 storeys. Share dining, library, hall small classrms. ICT 58m2 D&T 80m2

C OrmerodS CL –S PD NB

Oxfordshire 2002 30 740 25 21 Pupils in mainstream -share ICT

CromwellS –CL – S NB

Tameside 2001 59 2170 37 27Shared café style dining. small classrooms H: 4x5m

OsborneS –P16 NB

Hampshire 2004 144 3000 21 292 storeys split level. H:4x6m Residential home with P16 base

Dovestone P16 CL - FE NB

Tameside 2002 53 1170 22 22SLD classes, PMLD base, social spaces and external garden

MeadowsS- P16 NB

Sandwell 2004 128 3915 31 24H: 6x10m trainer pool Science & Food Tech 64m2 Large Courtyard

D PortlandS –P16 NB

Sunderland 2000 145 4655 32 242 storeys. H:6x9mPost 16: vocational & outreach

GreenvaleS –P16 NB

London. B. Lewisham

2007 96 4000 42 242 storeys. It was 60 pupils in former junior training centre 1300m2

ALL – AGE – AA

A Heritage ParkP-S KS2,3,4 NB

Sheffield 2005 83 2320 28 15*2 storeys. Key stages separated. small hall, dining & social room

B Whitefields - MSIP S CL -Special NB

Ldn .B. Walthamstow

1999 85 2325 27 23 2 storeys with large fire safety lifts

Priestley Smith- VI N,P,S-CL-N,PSS NB

Birmingham 2003 56 1920* 34* 25*Integrated - resourced provision special schools & outreach

C Manor Green N P S P16 NB

West Sussex 2004 250 5420 21 22 Shared halls & therapy H:5x6m

Jack TizardN P S P16 NB

Ldn. B. Hammersmith

2005 80 2185 27 272 storeys. Hydrotherapy since added. Independence skills flat.

HollywaterN P S P16 NB

Hampshire 2006 120 3000 25 22-H: 6x4m Specialist spaces. P16 base for independence skills

D TrinityN P S P16 RNBE

Ldn.B Barking & Dagenham

1997 145 5870 40 25NOR 200 pupils H:7x9m Large courtyard. Autism base added

Key: CL = Colocation NB=New build RNBE Refurbished & extended GIFA = Gross Internal Floor Area H = Hydrotherapy pool sizeSEN Ranges A: Behaviour Emotional Social Disorder * estimated. NOR numbers on roll MUGA Multi-use games area

B = Moderate -Severe Learning Difficulties, Speech Communication & Language Needs, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Impairment (Visual, Hearing, Multi-sensory) Most pupils are ambulant, some have Physical Difficulties

C = Some Range B: Severe Learning Difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, <50% Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties PMLD, D = Some Range B: Severe Learning Difficulties SLD, Autistic Spectrum Disorder ASD>50% Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties.

SEN Article.indd 31 11/05/2014 15:46



November Conference News

CONFERENCEFriday 28 November 2014

The great waterfront city of Portsmouth will host the next EBDOG Conference in November.

The conference will take place on Friday 28th November 2014 at Portsmouth’s Guildhall.

Delegates are also invited to attend the pre-conference dinner on Thursday 27th November in the Historic Dockyard aboard HMS Warrior.

If you’ve never visited Portsmouth - home of the Mary Rose, HMS Victory and the Spinnaker Tower and birthplace of Charles Dickens - now’s your chance.

You could make a weekend of it and enjoy the historic sights whilst doing some Christmas shopping.

We look forward to welcoming you to Portsmouth for the EBDOG conference in November.

19 Westgate Bay Avenue, Westgate-on-Sea, Kent CT8 8AHTel: 01843 846649 � Fax: 01843 807853Email: [email protected] � www.dmbpublishing.co.uk



DMB Publishing Ltd offer a professional, first-class service, producing a variety of high-quality publications including, Wallplanners, Maintenance,

Premises and Energy Management Handbooks primarily to Councils and Local Authorities nationwide.

With a select, dedicated team of sales, administration and print professionals, our service is founded on over 25 years experience working closely and successfully with

municipal organisations.

Our publications are completely self financed and supported through content-specific, industry relevant advertising, so there is no direct cost to our clients. And depending on the

variety of options chosen, can be easily updated as necessary.

If you have a project you think we can help with call us today on 01843 846649, or for more information and examples of our projects, visit our website at: www.dmbpublishing.co.uk


Portsmouth Promo.indd 32 11/05/2014 15:38


www.portsmouth.gov.uk

Education Building and Development Officers Group

EBDOG ConferenceNovember 2014Join us for November’s EBDOG Conference in the great waterfront city of Portsmouth.

Programme

Thursday 27th November 2014Enjoy pre conference dinner aboard HMS Warrior at Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard.

Friday 28th November 2014EBDOG conference Portsmouth Guildhall, Guildhall Square.

PortsmouthHome of the Mary Rose, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Spinnaker Tower will host the next EBDOG conference.

Make a weekend of itEnjoy the historic sights of Portsmouth - birthplace of Charles Dickens and home to the Mary Rose.

Or go Christmas shopping at Gunwharf Quays and enjoy panoramic views of the Solent from the Spinnaker Tower.

For details of sponsorship packages contact: EBDOG [email protected].

We look forward to welcoming you to our great waterfront city in November 2014!

28

Portsmouth Ad.indd 33 11/05/2014 16:02

Please contact me with details of your planned regional meetings so that they can be included in future issues of this journal.

Peter Colenutt, EBDOG National Chairman

EBDOGCONFERENCE

DIARYEBDOG Conferences

Friday 16 MayBlackpool

Next Conferences

Friday 28 November 2014Portsmouth

May 2015Plymouth

Visit the Building Futures Website: www.dmbpublishing.co.uk/BuildingFutures for additional information as it comes in.

BACK COVER.indd 1 11/05/2014 16:30

building futures - volume 9 issue 1

Documents

ebdog conferencenews

blackpool conference

twickenham conference

special day

different new projects

south gloucestershirerunways

national audit officenao

traditional seaside