SCHOOL GROUNDS DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

Recognition of the value to be gained from the greater educational use of school grounds has increased significantly in recent years. Their value has been underlined by the National Curriculum (NC) by reports produced by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and research undertaken by other organisations such as Learning Through Landscapes (LTL).

School grounds can provide a wealth of opportunities to create places of diversity and interest and increase resources to enhance both personal and social education. Beyond the need to provide areas and facilities within the outdoor environment, conforming to statutory guidelines or operational needs in terms of spatial requirements, the quality and character of the landscape in its widest sense needs to be both stimulating and malleable and also robust enough to meet the demands placed upon it.

As a Consultancy we have been involved in a range of projects involving in the planning, design and management of school grounds. We can offer schools specific advice which may be adopted to establish certain key principles within the design and management of their grounds, whilst still recognising the fact that there is no standard solution and every environment is unique as are those who interact with it.

For many children, inter action with their school grounds may be the only means of increasing their awareness of local and world issues through environmental education. Studies have shown that by  encouraging a sense of pride and ownership of their school, can assist in the development in children of positive and caring attitudes and behaviour towards the natural world.

Appropriate grounds design and development can significantly increase the potential of schools to enhance and achieve the objectives of environmental education and linked syllabus outcomes, through the creation of new teaching resources and stimulating places for children to work, rest and play.

Back To Services