Reimagining outdoor learning spaces

Primary capital, co-design and

educational transformation

a Futurelab handbook
KEY TO THEMES
OVERLEAF
Key to themes Acknowledgements

Futurelab understands that you may have This handbook was written by Futurelab
specific areas of interest and so, in order and commissioned by Becta (the British
to help you to determine the relevance of Educational and Communications Technology
each project or publication to you, we have Agency) as part of a research and development
developed a series of themes (illustrated by programme aimed at supporting the delivery
icons). These themes are not intended to cover of the Harnessing Technology Strategy1. The
every aspect of innovation and education and, handbook is aimed at helping system leaders
as such, you should not base your decision on to translate innovative and exciting ideas into
whether or not to read this publication on the next steps and practical recommendations for
themes alone. The themes that relate to this action. The handbook focuses on the use and
publication appear on the front cover, overleaf, utility of outdoor space for play and learning
but a key to all of the current themes that we and aims to support those who are thinking
are using can be found below: about redesigning their outdoor spaces as part
of the Primary Capital Programme or through
Digital Inclusion – How the design other initiatives.
and use of digital technologies can
promote educational equality We are grateful to all those individuals and
organisations who gave their support and
Innovative Teaching – Innovative insight in helping to inform the development
practices and resources that of this handbook.
enhance learning and teaching
This report is available to download free of
Learning Spaces – Creating charge from [Link]/handbooks.
transformed physical and virtual
environments

Mobile Learning – Learning on the

move, with or without handheld
technology

Learner Voice – Listening and acting

upon the voices of learners

Games and Learning – Using games

for learning, with or without gaming
technology

Informal Learning – Learning that

occurs when, how and where the
learner chooses, supported by digital
technologies

Learning in Families – Children,

parents and the extended family
learning with and from one another

For more information on our themes please

go to [Link]/themes

1. See: [Link]/[Link]?resID=37346
Contents
1. Introduction 02
2. Joining up some of the big ideas: bringing together personalisation,
Every Child Matters and Primary Capital through co-design 06
3. Thinking differently about design 12
4. Putting co-design at the heart of learning space design 20
5. Learning and playing outdoors 26
6. Outdoor play and learning provision outside the classroom 32
7. New technologies transforming outdoor learning and play space 40
8. Sustainability and sustainable development 48
9. Summary 54

Dr Tim Rudd
Futurelab 2008
 1. Introduction
ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK
The audience
This handbook is aimed primarily at education
leaders involved in the redesign of educational
learning spaces, through initiatives such as
the Primary Capital Programme (PCP) and
other learning space design initiatives. It will,
however, be of relevance to those involved
in other sectors, including those embarking
on the Building Schools for the Future (BSF)
programme.

2 Snug and Outdoor

Why outdoor spaces? The need to join up policies and initiatives
Capital investment programmes such as BsF Furthermore, this handbook also attempts to
and PCP are huge in their scope and scale, and illustrate the need to approach redesign not
therefore we have chosen to focus specifically as a separate entity, but as a vehicle to drive
on the redesign aspects of outdoor spaces, as forward and mobilise some of the broader
there is not room to cover the vast and varied overarching educational priorities, such as
elements of redesign within a single handbook. every Child Matters and the Children’s Plan,
other than such practical considerations, given and aspects of the educational transformation
that we are at the beginning of the Primary agenda, embedded within concepts such
Capital Programme, it seemed timely to as personalisation. In short, this handbook
produce a handbook as a tool for rethinking attempts to give some indications of how capital
the use of outdoor spaces for a broad range of investment programmes, and the processes
possible learning and play opportunities and they involve, might be used as a vehicle for
purposes aimed primarily at the primary sector. modelling wider educational change and
It is easy to overlook the potential of outdoor improvement. the transformational potential
spaces for the improved well-being, health and of large capital investment programmes will
welfare of children when the major emphasis not be achieved unless they are informed by
is on the design of buildings. However, and linked to these wider agendas.
outdoor space is a vital element contributing
to any child’s development and educational Finally, this handbook identifies the

ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK

experiences, and should therefore not be opportunities that are presented for involving
overlooked or undervalued, given the range of children and young people as co-designers in
other key initiatives aimed at developing more the process of redesign, not only identifying

INTRODUCTION
opportunities for play, exercise and learning the learning opportunities that are presented
beyond the classroom. but also highlighting that failure to engage
them in the process is less likely to produce
this publication also attempts to highlight the feeling of ownership of any space and therefore
potential links between capital investment undermining the sustainability of the project.
programmes and a range of other initiatives
and policies seeking to promote play and
outdoor learning for young children. From the
1
‘Learning outside the Classroom Manifesto’2
and subsequent play strategy3, through to the
united nations Convention of the rights of the
Child (Article 31)4, and the plethora of policies,
organisations and initiatives that support the
right for children to play, there is a clear call
and need to provide places other than the
classroom for learning and play in order to
offer children more direct experience with the
outside world. this may include learning away
from the school, in parks, forests, in local
community spaces, which allow a whole set of
different relationships and experiences
to flourish.

It could mean focusing on providing greater

continuity between learning outdoors and
what happens indoors and in the curriculum,
or it could mean focusing on redeveloping an
underutilised and inappropriate space so that
it is more stimulating and desirable.

2. see: dfes (now dCsF) Learning outside the Classroom Manifesto ([Link]/eOrderingDownload/[Link]);
the Council and Partnership for ‘Learning outside the Classroom’ ([Link])
3. Can be found at: [Link]/publications/fairplay/downloads/7567-DCFS-Fair%[Link]
4. Can be found at: [Link]/crc
3
 The aims and outline of this handbook
this handbook is not, however, a ‘how to’
manual, or an attempt to present a set of rigid
guidelines or recommendations. there is a
vast array of specific needs, visions, aims and
local contexts that will mediate the precise
way outdoor play and learning spaces are
utilised and configured. rather it is an attempt
to inspire, provoke thinking, offer a range of
links, examples and ideas that encourage the
reimagining of outdoor learning and play spaces,
rather than to merely reproduce newer versions
of what has gone before. It urges those involved
in redesign to be innovative, radical, pioneering
and to rethink the possibilities offered by this
once-in-a-generation opportunity to help
reshape and improve the broad educational
experience for all young people.

section 2 looks at some of the links between

ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK

Play England
capital investment programmes and broader
educational policies and wider initiatives,
and suggests they should be better aligned.
INTRODUCTION

section 3 offers some insight as to how and

why we should think differently about design.
section 4 looks at the importance of, and
opportunities for co-design, and highlights
some of the benefits and examples of good
practice. section 5 highlights the importance of
1 play in both policy and children’s development
and highlights a range of other initiatives and
organisations that can offer advice and support.
section 6 offers examples of other outdoor
and non-school learning spaces in order
to promote more lateral thinking about the
approach, relationships and opportunities for
developing spaces both within and beyond the
formal school boundaries. section 7 explores
the potential of a range of new technologies
to enhance outdoor play and learning spaces;
and section 8 looks at the issues surrounding
sustainable designs. each section offers a
number of further resources, links and reading
materials to give a deeper insight into the
specific issues raised.

4
 2. JoInIng uP soMe
oF tHe BIg IdeAs:
BrINgINg TOgETHEr PErSONAlISATION,
EvEry CHIlD MATTErS AND PrIMAry CAPITAl
THrOUgH CO-DESIgN

this section attempts to highlight the significant

opportunities afforded through capital investment
programmes to model and embed within designs
some of the wider policies and initiatives that
aim to transform and improve education and
educational services. In doing so it highlights the
importance of involving children as active co-
designers in the the process of developing both
new spaces and new approaches to learning.

6 Snug and Outdoor

 policy literature surrounding PCP and BsF,
The Primary Capital Programme (PCP) there are criticisms that this has not happened
in a systematic manner to date, and that any
the Primary Capital Programme challenges

JOININg UP SOme Of THe BIg IDeAS: BRINgINg TOgeTHeR PeRSONAlISATION,

school undergoing redesign should ensure
local authorities to think long term and their vision of a learning space of the future
strategically about teaching and learning is clearly informed by the wider policies and
in primary schools in the 21st century and

eveRy CHIlD mATTeRS AND PRImARy CAPITAl THROUgH CO-DeSIgN

initiatives that promote transformation and
how capital investment can support wider change. the remainder of this section outlines
transformation. It commits to renewing at some of the key policy drivers that should
least half of all primary school buildings by inform future learning space designs and the
2022-23; creating primary schools that are parallel calls for transformation, and highlights
equipped for 21st century learning, at the the opportunity to draw these together and
heart of their communities, with children’s model transformational practices through the
services in reach of every family5. practice of co-design with children.

Jim Knight, Minister for Schools and Personalisation as a tool for imagining
Learners (DCSF) educational transformation
Personalisation has been one of the major
concepts introduced to highlight the need
for systemic change. It has a transformation
Primary Capital Programme is about agenda inextricably associated with it, informed
transformation by wider societal changes, such as changes
the massive government expenditure pledged in production and consumption patterns,
to major learning space redesign programmes the networked nature of modern society,
such as BsF and PCP represent a unique consumer-led services provision, and the rise
opportunity; however it is clear that they should of new technologies enabling user-generated
not be viewed only as projects about school content and preferences.
buildings. Both of these programmes were also
conceived as a means to support a whole set However, as the House of Commons,
of wider education transformation objectives.
the House of Commons education and skills
education and skills Committee8 also noted,
personalisation has been put forward as being
2
Committee, reviewing the early progress of central to education but, as yet, its very nature
BsF, and identifying the lessons that should be remains insufficiently defined.
learnt, noted in relation to PCP, that:
to some degree, this is true. there are varying
“As well as being a project to improve interpretations, although this in itself is not
radically the fabric of school buildings... inherently a bad thing. However, it is when
it has been explicitly designed to transform the concept is poorly understood, narrowly
the educational experiences of pupils...”6 interpreted or viewed as ‘yet another initiative
to deliver’ that it is in danger of losing its
the government has similarly stated that PCP transformational utility. Personalisation is not
(and BsF) “...will support the transformation of readily measurable using existing criteria and
education.”7 the clear implication, then, is that should not be seen as a one-off ‘deliverable’.
any new spatial designs for learning should be rather it should be viewed as an orientating
premised upon the wider need to transform concept involving an ongoing process to
pedagogy, practice and the organisation transform education leading to a more diverse,
of education in order to meet the needs of emergent and learner-led set of learning and
learners in the 21st century. However, whilst teaching practices and processes.
the language of transformation pervades the

5. Can be found at: [Link]/_doc/13089/[Link]

6. House of Commons education and skills Committee (2007). sustainable schools: Are we building schools for the future?
seventh report of session 2006–07 Volume I. Accessed 21/10/08
([Link]/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmeduski/140/[Link])
7. the Primary Capital Programme. dCsF. teachernet
([Link]/management/resourcesfinanceandbuilding/Primary_Capital_Programme)
8. ibid
7
 the research9 tells us that there are at least the conceptual link between the more abstract or
three broad interpretations of personalisation. theoretical concept of personalisation and learning
Whilst this guidebook is not the place to conduct space redesign has been implied but as yet not
JOININg UP SOme Of THe BIg IDeAS: BRINgINg TOgeTHeR PeRSONAlISATION,

a detailed analysis of the concept, it is worth thoroughly investigated. A good starting point for
noting that these three interpretations broadly any redesign would be to situate redesign, the
suggest that personalisation requires: process as much as the outcome, under the wider
eveRy CHIlD mATTeRS AND PRImARy CAPITAl THROUgH CO-DeSIgN

transformational umbrella of personalisation.

_ a fundamental change towards a more
not only is this a good opportunity to revisit the
person-centred approach to education
wider underlying meanings behind the concept
and learning, where the system changes
but it also provides a ‘compass’ for decisions that
significantly to respond to and develop in
are made in the planning and redesign process
light of the needs of learners rather than
further down the line.
learners responding to a set of system
requirements
given the language of transformation that also
_ a need to significantly overhaul existing surrounds capital investment programmes,
structures of school organisation and and the emphasis personalisation places on
practice to be more responsive to learner a more student-centred approach to school
needs, enabling personalised approaches organisation and offering greater choice
to occur over time through diverse learning pathways, there is
surely a need to enable learners to become
_ a need to harness the networked nature of
actively involved in decision-making processes
society in order to rethink how and where
around design, making choices that will affect
learning can take place and how these
them, and ensuring their voices heard. In a
networks might be better harnessed to
sense, learning space redesign programmes
support greater diversity for learning in
offer the chance to model and try out more
keeping with emerging practices outside
personalised approaches to learning, thus
school currently and in the future.
ensuring a strong connection between the two.
Whilst these three interpretations offer different
perspectives, they are broad interpretations
2 and are not mutually exclusive. on further
examination of the source texts, it is clear they
Personalisation: informing
approaches to school redesign?
differ in terms of their starting points, approach
and means to achieve personalisation but they Personalisation puts citizens at the heart of
share two significant points of convergence. public services and enables them to have
Firstly, they call for system-wide transformation, a say in the design and improvement of the
and secondly, they present a picture of an organisations that serve them. In education
educational future centred on greater and this can be understood as Personalised
meaningful choice and voice for learners. Learning - the drive to tailor education to
individual need, interest and aptitude so
meaningful choice and voice for learners is as to fulfil every young person’s potential.
central to personalisation. True co-design is (DfES 2004)11
premised upon voice and choice
Choice and voice were the two central tenets of Personalised learning stresses deep
personalisation, as set out by david Miliband10 learning as an active, social process and is
in the various publications introducing explicit about learning skills, processes and
personalisation into the field of education. It is strategies...the aim is to enable pupils to
premised upon an emergent and empowering understand themselves better as learners
change process, through which learners and so take greater control of and
gradually gain confidence to shape their own responsibility for their learning, transferring
learning, create original content and co-create and applying a widening repertoire of learning
their own learning pathways with educators. approaches in different subjects and contexts.
(DfES 2007)12

9. taylor, L, Bracken, K, Atkinson, d, Perrotta, C (forthcoming). exploring the Personalised Learning Landscape. Literature
review for the dCsF for the space for Personalisation Project. degW, Futurelab, edisonLearning, Penoyre & Prasad
10. Miliband, d (2006). Choice and Voice in Personalised Learning. Chapter 1 in Personalising education. oeCd
11. dfes (2004). A national Conversation about Personalised Learning. Can be downloaded at:
[Link]/personalisedlearning or [Link]/publications/PLbooklet
12. dfes (2007). Personalised Learning and the Primary national strategy. Crown. Can be downloaded at:
[Link]/local/ePDs/leading_on_intervention/resources/downloads/LTI_personalisedlearning.pdf
8
In the context of the opportunities arising in the design of services that affect them can
from PCP (and BsF), there is a huge potential have huge benefits14, and similarly, engaging
to model more transformative approaches, children in participatory co-design can have

JOININg UP SOme Of THe BIg IDeAS: BRINgINg TOgeTHeR PeRSONAlISATION,

pedagogies and relationships by putting a range of positive outcomes. the British
learners at the very heart of the (re)design Council for school environments (BCse)15
process, thus assuring greater choice and schoolworks16, for example, promote

eveRy CHIlD mATTeRS AND PRImARy CAPITAl THROUgH CO-DeSIgN

and voice. From this perspective, BsF and participatory and co-design approaches in
PCP should not be perceived as ‘buildings’ school designs as a means for generating
programmes but rather as a huge learning better understanding, delivering broad learning
opportunity for learners and teachers alike. opportunities, and increasing the likelihood of
It represent an opportunity to give learners more sustainable and relevant designs.
more choice and voice through the process of
co-design and address one of the key issues For many, it may appear that statutory
of capital investment programmes to date13, requirements will limit the extent to which young
namely the lack of active learner (and teacher) children can be involved in design processes
participation in the design processes. and activities. However, there are a wealth of
learning opportunities that present themselves
Redesign offers a huge learning opportunity through a process of co-design of learning
that can be mapped to learning skills and spaces that can be mapped against both ‘formal’
competencies and less formal learning requirements, and
If the PCP and BsF programmes are to live therefore learners’ participation does not have
up to their transformational promise, then the to be seen as an additional activity. As well as
principles underlying personalisation and other the broad range of competencies and skills such
broad policy directives should inform design as those outlined above, it is possible to map
briefs. Involving learners as co-developers experiences to broad curriculum aims and even
in their own learning pathways and involving enhance them in doing so (on page 55 we have
them in the practices and processes that affect described the QCA’s ‘Big Picture curriculum’
their educational experiences, including their as a tool to help map out how curriculum aims
participation in learning space redesign, would might be mapped to co-design processes around
appear to be essential. PCP and BsF).
2
Being involved in co-design offers opportunities every Child matters and the Children’s Plan
for learners to gain an insight into how a at the heart of learning space redesign
range of other professionals operate and As well as personalisation being a concept
the skills they employ. Active involvement in to influence how learning in the future may
design processes also offers opportunities differ and therefore how design aspects might
for the development of a range of skills and account for it, there are other major policy
competencies such as team working, project drivers that should have an explicit influence on
management, communication, collaboration, designs and design processes.
design, creativity, discussion, debating,
presenting arguments, decision making and so From the outset, the government has stated
forth, as well as gaining knowledge of the use that the Children’s Plan17 and every Child
of various tools, mechanisms and resources Matters18 are at the heart of the Primary Capital
that might be employed throughout the Programme19, indicating that the programme is
various aspects of design. As will be explored about far more than redesign of school buildings.
in more detail in section 4, involving people

13. see for example, House of Commons education and skills Committee (2007), ibid
14. see for example: skidmore, P, Bound K and Lownsbrough, H (2006). Community Participation: Who benefits? Joseph rowntree
Foundation ([Link]/bookshop/eBooks/[Link]); sustainability and schools, university of
nottingham ([Link])
15. [Link]
16. [Link]
17. dCsF (2007). the Children’s Plan. Building Brighter Futures. Can be found at:
[Link]/publications/childrensplan/downloads/The_Childrens_Plan.pdf
18. dfes (2004). every Child Matters: Change for Children. Can be found at:
[Link]/_files/[Link]
19. dfes (2006). every Child Matters: Primary Capital Programme: Building Primary schools at the Heart of the Community.
Can be found at: [Link]/_doc/9606/Primary%20Capital%20Programme%20-%[Link]
9
 the primary capital investment should Commissioner, also campaign to ensure that
support a wide range of policies with the adults in charge listen to the voice of children in
Children’s Plan at its heart. the investment the design and delivery of provision.
JOININg UP SOme Of THe BIg IDeAS: BRINgINg TOgeTHeR PeRSONAlISATION,

will support the transformation of education,

including raising standards and improving the Again we see national policies and initiatives
life chances and well-being of all children, the urging us not only to put children at the very
eveRy CHIlD mATTeRS AND PRImARy CAPITAl THROUgH CO-DeSIgN

removal of surplus places, inclusion, every heart of education but to also involve them in
Child Matters, and the provision of extended the design of those services. If the Primary
services for the local community. Capital (and BsF) Programme is to deliver a
transformed educational future, surely then,
DCSF (2008). Every Child Matters: The children should be central to the design
Primary Capital Programme 2008-202220 process, actively participating in meaningful
co-design.

every Child Matters is an attempt to address Joining up the big ideas through co-design
five outcomes that are key to well-being in As yet, insufficient thought has been given
childhood and later life, namely: being healthy; to the links and interrelationships between
staying safe; enjoying and achieving; making a learning space (re)design, broader educational
positive contribution; and achieving economic transformation agendas and co-design
well-being. It is recognised that in order to approaches that involve and empower learners.
achieve this requires radical change across the Learning space redesign should not only be
whole system of children’s services. Again, this seen as an opportunity to create new, dynamic,
should be given serious consideration when exciting, creative and innovative spaces offering
faced with an opportunity to design new learning new learning opportunities, but should also be
spaces, such as how, or to what extent, various viewed as a catalyst through which to map and
services or professionals might be housed in model broader educational transformation and
the same general space, how to enhance or practices. Whilst there is still much confusion
develop extended services, and so forth, but it over what personalisation might mean in
might also have implications for the design in practice, increased educational choice and
2 terms of how to develop a more secure and safe
environment that enables children to be healthy,
greater learner voice are givens. the Children’s
Plan and every Child Matters agenda also
enjoy their environment and experiences of recognise the need to give children more voice
school and make a positive contribution to their and enable them to have an input into the design
community. Furthermore, every Child Matters of services and environments that affect them.
clearly states the importance that should be
placed on listening to children when assessing surely there are few better opportunities for
and planning service provision. similarly, the putting these principles into effect than through
Children’s Plan states that: a programme of learning space redesign that
offers children: the opportunity to design
“services need to be shaped by and new educational experiences; the chance to
responsive to children, young people and become co-designers in authentic and real
families, not designed around professional activities; the ability to have a greater say on
boundaries.”21 the services and environments they encounter
in their daily lives; the chance to influence the
the recent amendment to the education and form and function of their learning places; a
skills Bill22 also now places a formal duty on platform for reimagining learning pathways
governing bodies to invite the views of pupils and possibilities; and the opportunity to learn
and consult them on all matters that affect a whole new range of skills and competencies
them, from the way they are taught through arising from creative thinking, redesign,
to the way the school is run. 11 Million23, planning and realisation of new spaces.
the organisation set up by the Children’s

20. Can be found at: [Link]/_doc/12293/Primary%20Capital%20Programme%[Link]

21. dCsF (2007). the Children’s Plan: Building brighter futures, p6
22. education and skills Bill. explanatory notes on amendments. 11th november 2008. (Bill 164). House of Commons, London
[Link]/pa/cm200708/cmbills/164/en/[Link]
23. [Link]

10
 JOININg UP SOme Of THe BIg IDeAS: BRINgINg TOgeTHeR PeRSONAlISATION,
eveRy CHIlD mATTeRS AND PRImARy CAPITAl THROUgH CO-DeSIgN
2

As mentioned earlier, for practical reasons this this publication aims to inspire people to make
handbook focuses primarily on the redesign of the links between learning space design and
outdoor play and learning spaces. such spaces wider policies and initiatives that promote an
are ideal for involving children in co-design improved and transformed educational future,
processes, as not only are they spaces in which and seeks to inspire new ways of thinking and
they play and explore, stay fit and healthy and ideas around learning spaces - what they are,
develop social relationships, they are also spaces who designs them, and for what purpose. the
over which many may feel a greater ownership, next section offers some ideas and information
where relationships between children and adults aimed at helping people to think differently
may not, at certain times at least, seem so about design.
marked, and where overtly, adult-imposed rules
regarding behaviour may not be so fixed.

11
 3. Thinking differently
about design
This section offers some thoughts, ideas
and links to further resources that may help
promote more innovative approaches and
design. It is far from extensive, or specific, but
does offer some initial general starting points
for reimagining play and learning space design.

There is a long history around what a school

is, what is taught there, by whom and how, as
well as embedded perceptions about the types
of buildings and spaces where these practices
traditionally occur. However, there is a need to
challenge existing assumptions if new learning
and play spaces for the future are to be built,
and this requires taking a different approach to
imagine a whole range of different possibilities.

12
Initial visioning they can also be less literal, such as taking
one barrier to more innovative learning space a theme from nature to inspire the design of
design is that examples and ideas of alternative space, for example looking at honeycombs
approaches are relatively limited or not readily and using them as a structural metaphor for
accessible. this is partly because there is a designing interlocking spaces, perhaps built
tendency to look for examples emanating from by those inhabiting that space.
other schools or other more formal learning
institutions. there are, however, a range of there is a long history of nature inspiring
examples from outside formal education that design and invention, from naturally occurring
can be drawn upon, ideas that can be drawn algorithms being mimicked in building design
from our towns and cities and the environment to provide more efficient or structurally
around us, that can all help inspire the way stronger, efficient, or flexible spaces, to
space is designed. these can be literal, for cockleburs inspiring the development of Velcro,
example, learning from the moods ‘created’ advances in aircraft inspired by the study of
through good landscaping and design; the birds in flight, through to nature-inspired

THINKINg DIffeReNTly ABOUT DeSIgN

ambience that can be given to a space through fashion design. the list is seemingly endless.
lighting or music; the added stimuli that can be
incorporated into a space through the addition In terms of designing of outside spaces, it may
of tactile installations and surfaces; the also be a case of learning from and working
smells from plants and flowers; the dynamism with natural resources that already exist, or
given through carefully positioned active play perhaps just picking a theme on which to base
installations, and so forth. a design. this is one area where children can
be actively involved in choosing and influencing
final designs or design themes, using resources
to enable their creative ideas to flourish. It may
be a good starting point to set up activities that
broadly look at how nature might inspire design
and what ideas might develop as a result.

Alan lei © Alsop 13

 More generally, having a range of stimuli and approaches to learning and teaching can give
inspiration to help think about the development a better insight into how and to what extent the
of outdoor learning and play spaces is design (or form) might follow function and how
essential. this may require going beyond different approaches to play and pedagogies
school-based examples: looking at different might be allowed to flourish in outdoor spaces
types of space and how they are designed; in a way that may not be perceived as possible
seeking out a range of designs by architects, inside a classroom.
designers, landscape designers; looking at
public gardens and outdoor spaces, exhibitions,
displays; drawing on the ways in which social Abbots green Community Primary school in
interaction occurs in a range of spaces and Bury st edmunds designed its school space
places, including virtual and online worlds. upon firm pedagogical principles, and took
Again, the resource and ideas-gathering aspect Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs as a guiding
is another possible route for involving children design principle to ensure the new building
and others. and its landscape cater for the emotional and
THINKINg DIffeReNTly ABOUT DeSIgN

physical needs of children25.

A degree of random input and a range of stimuli
to promote initial thinking processes that might
inspire design approaches can prove valuable. It might also be worth considering how outdoor
For example, gathering information about space might be designed and utilised as a way
children’s favourite things, experiences, places, of modelling new or different behaviours and
games and so on, and then discussing the approaches to learning and teaching inside
things they like about them. emerging themes the school. For instance, Futurelab’s ‘What
can help to inform discussions around design. if..?: reimagining Learning spaces’26 report
random input has a long tradition in the field of sought to ask some of the bigger questions
innovation24, such as introducing random words around the educational visions and debates
to help think more creatively about a situation. that might need to underpin the design of new
similarly, taking the perspective of others, learning spaces. It also provided a series of
including companies and organisations, and future scenarios to inspire different ways of
3 thinking how they would approach design, can
be a fun starting point for understanding what
imagining future designs and presented a set
of questions, or ‘what ifs..?’ in order to help
children like and dislike. scaffold alternative approaches to thinking
about spatial design informed by different
It is also essential to give adequate and open- pedagogical or organisational approaches.
minded thought to different pedagogical and the underlying argument is that we need to
learning organisation models. there is a long rethink our approaches to school design that
and rich history of different approaches to may be based on outdated models, and that we
learning and teaching and the varied methods must challenge the existing institutionalised
should be considered. this is not to say that logic to create spaces that will equip children
an alternative approach to education should and young people for the world in which they
necessarily be aspired to but it is possible that will live in the future.
the different assumptions that inform varied

Jerry tate Architects City of Chicago/Patrick Pyszka

24. see for instance: de Bono, e (2007). How to Have Creative Ideas: Vermilion, London
25. For more information abut the school visit [Link]. A full case study can be found at:
[Link]/_RMVirtual/Media/Downloads/Abbots_Green.pdf
26. Can be found at:
[Link]/resources/publications-reports-articles/opening-education-reports/Opening-Education-Report128
14
 Snug and Outdoor
Beyond initial visioning
Moving beyond the initial visioning phase,
perhaps one of the most useful and interesting
publications that helps conceptualise how
aspects of pedagogy relate to alternative
designs, is designshare’s ‘the Language of
school design’27. the authors, Prakash nair
and randall Fielding28, present a ‘new graphic
vocabulary’ that links learning research to
school planning and design in a practical
way to enable a better understanding of the
broader educational adequacy of a new space.
one of the early criticisms levelled at the BsF designshare29 also offers a range of other
programme was the limited opportunity for resources to help people think about the
early visioning or pre-engagement, which can interrelationship between learning theory and

THINKINg DIffeReNTly ABOUT DeSIgN

have detrimental impacts on the extent to pedagogically informed designs.
which designs are informed by a far-reaching
educational vision that reflect the types of oblinger (ed, 2006) also offers an interesting
changes in educational approaches desired. collection of papers and case studies that
the educational visions on which new designs demonstrate how space can have an impact on
are built will be encapsulated by the bricks, learning and how learner expectations can also
mortar, structures and grounds. therefore it is influence the design and use of such spaces.
vital to move beyond designing for immediate this illustrates the clear need to establish a
necessities and realise the opportunities to collective vision, a set of expectations about
create spaces encapsulating visions of the what such spaces are for, how they are
future, to attempt to design the ‘built pedagogy’ informed pedagogically, and how they might
or landscape of the future. It is essential be used. All of these elements should inform
that as much attention is paid to developing the design process.
a compelling educational vision as soon as
possible, ideally in advance of the start of any
project, in order to inform the development
It may be argued that the majority of
educational provision is designed by adults
3
of sites to support, encourage and develop for children and is often based on a model
learning in the future. In creating an agreed, that promotes systemic aims and doesn’t pay
compelling vision, an enduring artefact is adequate attention to children’s world views,
produced that can help guide and keep on their interpretations and expectations. the
track the range of other partners involved in counter-argument therefore is that we need
delivering the design, and this reduces the risk to develop more child-friendly communities30
of deviation from the initial vision. where children are free to learn and explore,
and where educational provision is designed
We must also remember here, that in terms of with children for children. there are fantastic
outdoor space and play, we are very likely to be opportunities to do this in relation to designing
already thinking about visions of learning and outdoor play and learning spaces, as many of
play that are very different from those more the perceived barriers to learner participation
readily associated with formal schooling and and learner-led approaches diminish. Perhaps
curricula. A vision of learning in relation to this these spaces make the most appropriate areas
context is much more likely to be based around for initially exploring and developing co-design
exploration, interaction, learning through principles and practices with children.
play, creativity, imagination, experimentation
and so forth. nonetheless, it should still be
clearly thought through, compelling, and
debated, discussed and defined so that it can
be transmitted to others and provide the basis
for further input from other professionals and
stakeholders.

27. designshare (2007) the Language of school design: design patterns for 21st century schools. Prakash nair and randall
Fielding. see [Link]/[Link]/language-school-design
28. [Link]/[Link]
29. [Link]/[Link]/home
30. see for example the work of tim gill, rethinking Childhood ([Link])
15
 Beginning the design process
Beyond the initial phase of visioning and 33 principles of educational design
thinking about the development of the built (Jeffrey A lackney)
pedagogy, the underpinning educational
philosophy and approaches, there are a number 1. Maximise collaboration in school
of other essential elements and principles to planning and design
consider during the design process. As might 2. Build a proactive facility management
be expected, there are a number of different program
interpretations, starting points and approaches, 3. Plan schools as neighbourhood-scaled
some relating directly to policy documents, community learning centres
others to theoretical perspectives, and others 4. Plan for learning to take place directly in
detailing practical aspects. Many include the community
similar issues and there is a wealth of guidance 5. Create smaller schools
from various government sources and other 6. respect contextual compatibility while
organisations. Below are a number of examples providing design diversity
7. Consider home as a template for school
THINKINg DIffeReNTly ABOUT DeSIgN

of issues to consider during the design process

that are largely applicable to the design of both 8. Meander circulation while ensuring
indoor and outdoor spaces. supervision
9. design for safe schools
10. Cluster instructional areas
Fielding (2006)31 outlines six ‘essential elements’ 11. Provide space for sharing instructional
that should help define the design of educational resources
spaces, based on evidence from best practice 12. design for a variety of learning groups
examples. these are that spaces should: and spaces
_ support teaching and learning 13. Keep class sizes small
14. Provide resource-rich well-defined
_ maximise physical comfort and well-being activity pockets
_ demonstrate environmental responsibility 15. Integrate early childhood education into
the community school
_ serve the community
3 _ establish design principles that make
16.
17.
Provide a home base for every learner
regard teachers as professionals
buildings (or spaces) work better, last longer, 18. Provide studios to support project-based
cost less to renovate and maintain, and learning
inspire and adapt to changing needs 19. encourage administrative leadership by
decentralising administrative space
_ apply open, transparent and collaborative
20. establish a community forum
processes that allow the school and
21. Allow for community conferencing space
community to assume ownership of planning
22. Create privacy niches
and design.
23. Weave together virtual and physical
Lackney (2003)32 focuses on more detailed learning space
practicalities relating to school design to offer 24. Provide opportunities for job training
33 principles based on research and practice in 25. Provide parent information centres
the field. Whilst not all are directly applicable 26. Provide health care service centres
to outdoor spaces, they provide a valuable 27. design places with respect for scale and
checklist and source of inspiration for thinking developmental need
differently about design. 28. Maximise natural and full-spectrum
lighting
29. design healthy buildings
30. design for appropriate acoustics
31. Allow for transitional spaces between
indoor and outdoor spaces
32. establish a variety of outdoor learning
environments
33. separate children and pedestrians from
vehicles and service

31. randall Fielding (2006). Best practice in action: six essential elements that define educational facility design. CeFPI Planner,
december 2006. Can be accessed at: [Link]/images/[Link]
32. Lackney, JA (2003). 33 Principles of educational design. school design research studio
([Link]/[Link]). offers a fuller account of the 33 principles
16
Learning through Landscapes33, the uK the dfes produced a guide, ‘schools for the
school grounds charity, has coordinated the Future: designing school grounds’34, which
development of a core set of values specifically also supports schools in their thinking about
related to early years and outdoor play that aim how best to use their grounds in order to cater
to support the delivery of their vision for high for the educational, recreational and social
quality outdoor experiences for young people. needs of their pupils and for the benefit of
these values are: the wider community. It gives practical case
studies of where schools have transformed
_ young children should be outdoors as
their environment and brought new learning
much as indoors and need a well-designed,
and excitement for their children, staff and the
well-organised, integrated indoor-outdoor
wider community. Whilst offering core design
environment, preferably with indoors and
principles, it also offers guidance, further
outdoors available simultaneously.
information and advice around practicalities
_ Play is the most important activity for young such as how to access sources of funding.
children outside.

THINKINg DIffeReNTly ABOUT DeSIgN

Between them, the above guides, principles,
_ outdoor provision can, and must, offer young
values and elements provide plenty of stimuli
children experiences which have a lot of
and guidance for thinking about designing
meaning to them and are led by the child.
outdoor spaces, but there are also many
_ young children need all the adults around others. Collectively they should provide a basis
them to understand why outdoor play for more thorough design, however, any design
provision is essential for them and adults also needs to be underpinned by a compelling
who are committed and able to make its vision of learning and of the practice,
potential available to them. relationships and activities that will be fostered
within that space.
_ the outdoor space and curriculum must
harness the special nature of the outdoors,
Support during the process
to offer children what the indoors cannot.
there are also numerous other organisations,
this should be the focus for outdoor provision,
tools and resources that can support your design
complementing and extending provision indoors.
_ outdoors should be a dynamic, flexible and
and planning throughout. the section below
highlights just a few of many key organisations
3
versatile place where children can choose, and sources of advice and support.
create, change and be in charge of their play
environment. the Commission for Architecture and the
_ young children must have a rich outdoor Built environment (CABe)35, the government’s
environment full of irresistible stimuli, advisor for architecture, urban design and
contexts for play, exploration and talk, plenty space, works on behalf of the public to offer
of real experiences and contact with the expert and practical advice and guidance on
natural world and with the community. built environment and open space design.
Whilst its work spans numerous sectors, it is
_ young children should have long periods of currently involved providing free support to all
time outside. they need to know that they local authorities involved in BsF, in partnership
can be outside every day, when they want to with dCsF and Partnerships for schools
and that they can develop their ideas for play (Pfs). Many of its publications, information
over time. resources and case studies are also relevant
_ young children need challenge and risk to the Primary sector and it is likely to play an
within a framework of security and safety. increasing role in informing those concerned
the outdoor environment lends itself to with design quality in schools. resources, such
offering challenge, helping children learn as the spaceshaper36 practical toolkit, which is
how to be safe and to be aware of others. available to anyone, help measure the quality of
a public space before investing time and money.
_ outdoor provision must support inclusion this approach brings together staff and users
and meet the needs of individuals, offering in a structured way to discuss the space, and
a diverse range of play-based experiences. identify strengths and weaknesses and how
young children should participate in decisions well it fits the needs of stakeholders.
and actions affecting their outdoor play.

33. Learning through Landscapes. early years Vision and Values for outdoor play. the full document can be found at:
[Link]/eyfs/resources/downloads/[Link]
34. dfes. schools for the Future: designing school grounds. Can be accessed at: [Link]/docbank/[Link]?id=10554
35. [Link]
36. [Link]/[Link]?contentitemid=1675
17
 the British Council for school environments
(BCse)37 is a membership organisation
consisting of schools, architects, construction
companies and local authorities that acts
as a forum for dialogue and advocacy for
anyone interested in learning environments.
underpinning its approach is a need to design
and deliver spaces that can support new visions
for teaching and learning through research and
best practice dissemination around all aspects
of school design. BCse and initiatives such Cottrell & vermeulen, Anthony Coleman
as school Works38 offer participatory design
processes with schools and local authorities. Power League39 is a free web resource
drawing on the expertise of experienced school developed by Futurelab, for exploring any topic,
Works facilitators, the participatory process through sampling group opinions, voting and
THINKINg DIffeReNTly ABOUT DeSIgN

aims to: involve school stakeholders and focus provoking group discussions. the tool enables
their thinking; make recommendations for you to create your own online leagues – so can
school designs that inform the design brief/ easily be used as a tool for engaging young
architect; embed the participatory approach people in discussions. there are existing leagues
within the LA and school and enable ongoing that are populated with images - including the
stakeholder involvement; foster partnership Climate Change League and the new school
working; foster a sense of community League – but it is also possible to create your
ownership and pride over new schools; own leagues, adding your own images.
and provide a fun and informative insight
into school design and sustainability. Google SketchUp40 is software that can be used
to create, modify and share 3d models. this is
an excellent tool to use for designs, especially
for incorporating designs from children. there
is also sketchup go green and a specific
3 version for education.

Archikids41 is an interesting site not only

offering an interesting gallery and other
resources but also providing a series of fun
games to stimulate young people’s interest in
architecture and design in a novel way.
Cottrell & vermeulen, Paul ratigan

OurNewSchool42 – the game43 is a prototype

Tools and new technologies to support ‘game’ that provides a structure to workshops
children’s participation that help staff, pupils and other stakeholders
the new technologies, tools and resources to create a mind map and explore design
outlined below are just a few that can be used challenges together. this approach brings
in aspects of co-design, and which may add together a whole variety of people to learn,
another dimension to children’s engagement share thoughts, discover opportunities and
and a route to involvement in the visioning, come up with new ideas to improve people’s
design and planning processes. such tools on experiences of school.
their own are relatively meaningless without
a deeper commitment to comprehensive Autopano Pro44 is one of a number of software
engagement amongst young people. they do, packages that enable automated ‘picture
however, provide a platform on which to base stitching’. the software can detect pictures that
further discussion, negotiation, debate and belong to a panoramic photo and stitch them
broader activity. together in sequence.

37. [Link]
38. [Link]
39. [Link]
40. [Link]
41. [Link]
42. [Link]
43. developed by the engine group ([Link])
44. [Link]
18
OTHEr USEfUl rESOUrCES learning Spaces. Oblinger, DG (ed) (2006).
Washington DC: EDUCAUSE
Partnerships for Schools (PfS) works with this excellent edited collection of chapters,
dCsF and CABe to ensure that local authorities examples, case studies and debates illustrates
and schools are given the best guidance the ways in which we can rethink learning
to ensure design quality. It offers and links spaces. A must for anyone about to embark
to a range of key resources, guidance and on redesigning spaces. Also contains many
publications relevant to the design of schools examples of how new technologies can
within the BsF programme and resources enhance and mediate learning spaces.
relevant to design more generally, including [Link]/LearningSpaces/10569
building bulletins, government policy
documents and design standards guidance. 33 Principles of educational Design. School
[Link] Design Research Studio. Lackney, JA (2003).
Interesting article outlining 33 principles of
Teachernet provides an invaluable resource educational design. Also has a number of

THINKINg DIffeReNTly ABOUT DeSIgN

of documents and links related to the design useful links, research papers, articles and
of school buildings and grounds, including: resources related to each principle.
_ Primary Ideas: Projects to enhance Primary [Link]/[Link]
school environments, dfes 2006
The Royal Institute of British Architects
_ schools for the Future: exemplar designs, (RIBA) is the uK body for architecture and the
concepts and ideas architectural profession. As well as providing
_ Building Bulletin 99: Briefing Framework support for its members in the form of training,
for Primary school Projects, dfes 2005 technical services, publications, events and
setting the standards for the education of
_ Building Bulletin 77: designing for Pupils architects, it offers a library of drawings and
with special educational needs and photographs from which to draw inspiration
disabilities in schools and ideas.
[Link] [Link]

CABe has a wealth of resources relating to Open House aims to foster an appreciation
3
architecture and design and has a clear role in the and understanding of the value of architectural
BsF programme offering support, guidance and excellence and showcase outstanding design,
regulatory information. Key publications include: particularly for young people. It seeks
_ 21st Century schools: Learning to support better understanding of how
environments of the future architecture and design can have an impact on
our lives. Working in partnership with education
_ Being Involved in school design, CABe 2004 bodies it aims to devise programmes that can
CABe’s site has useful insights and resources inform students and give them skills they can
around best practice, including PFI. Its apply in their everyday lives. Has a range of
publication, ‘Building schools for the Future: examples and resources.
the role of a design champion’ highlights the [Link]
organisation’s role, perspective and approach
in supporting good design of spaces and places learning Through landscapes offer
with schools. techniques for co-design and co-evaluation,
[Link] and practical ideas both for designing and using
school grounds in their Measuring success
DesignShare offers a range of resources, publication. through schoolgrounds-uK and
articles, tools and case studies that help early years outdoors membership services,
illuminate how educational design can have an they offer an advice line to support schools who
impact on learning processes and the necessity want to make more of their grounds.
of incorporating learning theories into the [Link]
design process. A good source for ideas and
resources about best practices and innovation
in schools from early childhood through to
university level.
[Link]

19
 4. Putting co-design at
the heart of learning
space design
As noted earlier, learning space redesign
should be seen as an opportunity to support
and model wider transformational practices
in education. Numerous key policy initiatives,
agendas and rights legislation identify the need
to give learners greater choice and voice by
placing them at the centre of education and
actively engaging them in co-developing their
own educational pathways and co-designing
the services that affect them. Research also
highlights the benefits of children and young
people’s active participation45.

20
design and redesign projects potentially offer rich It also may mean rethinking approaches and
and diverse learning experiences for children to ways of doing things. the methods, techniques
develop a range of competencies and skills, and and media that support adult participation may
the opportunity to learn from, with and inform not necessarily be the right or best approach
experts in the fields of education, design, project for young people.
management, technology, landscaping and so on.
Placing learners at the centre of learning space From the development of initial conceptual
design, through a process of co-design, offers a ideas, creative thinking and problem solving,

PUTTINg CO-DeSIgN AT THe HeART Of leARNINg SPACe DeSIgN

unique chance to promote real participation and through to the planning, design and delivery
engagement and to support the development of stages, children need to be a fundamental
proactive and responsible learners exposed to a part of the process. these types of approaches
broader and more diverse range of real learning are far more likely to foster engagement, a
experiences. educational theorist and writers sense of ownership and responsibility, and
have long argued the importance of involving help develop self esteem48.
students in meaningful ways as active agents
participating in real learning opportunities However, this is not an easy task. It can take
alongside and collaborating with others46. extra time and resources, but the broad benefits
and outcomes can outweigh the added time
It is clear, then, that there is a solid foundation for and resource costs. In enabling young people
empowering pupils through increased participation to actively participate, and by association the
and co-design practices. However, it is worth giving network of significant others involved in young
these terms a little more consideration47. people’s lives, the pool of potential ideas,
skills and knowledge which inform design
there are numerous examples of projects decisions increases49. Moreover, there is also
claiming to promote learner participation, evidence to suggest that adults gain a far better
which instead tend toward consultation. understanding of children’s capabilities and
Consultation is often more passive involvement interests and that adults are often surprised
that encourages decision making around by the skills, aptitudes and resourcefulness of
a closed or pre-defined and limited set of children involved in co-design projects. they can
alternatives, into which learners have had
little or no input. Moreover, consultation can
gain a better insight into learner’s interests and
abilities that they may not normally be exposed
4
often occur around agendas and issues about to, and which helps them address their learning
which learners have little or no interest or needs more generally.
first-hand experience, rendering any decisions
taken in their name relatively meaningless. there are clearly numerous factors such
In short, engaging children in participatory as time, costs, organisational and logistical
projects is more than ticking boxes or offering aspects that will mediate the extent to which
limited consultation, it is about facilitating all learners can be involved in the multitude
their contributions in every aspect of a of decisions and issues. It is, however, still
project in meaningful ways. If a project is to possible to involve children in the whole design
be truly empowering, and support the sort and delivery process by identifying different
of engagement, skills, competencies and ‘leaders’ for various tasks or aspects, and
ways of working required to develop a sense ensuring there is opportunity for the whole
of ownership, responsibility and greater cohort to be involved and have their say on each
involvement amongst young people, then of those areas through suitable mechanisms.
they have to be actively involved in the whole Involving children in the design process is
process; have opportunities to set agendas; more likely to lead to a more useful end result
have appropriate mechanisms to raise their that is in keeping with the needs of the ‘end
views, opinions, debate and negotiate; and have user’, rather than a design based on an adult’s
appropriate support and mechanisms to turn perspective alone.
their views into action and tangible outcomes.

45. see for example: Kirby, P, Lanyon, C, Cronin, K and sinclair, r (2003). Building a Culture of Participation. Can be found at:
[Link]/_files/[Link]
46. see for example: diana Laurillard (2008). digital technologies and their role in achieving our educational ambitions.
Inaugural lecture, Institute of education
47. For a fuller discussion of these terms and overviews of the issues relating to participation see: Futurelab (2006).
Learner Voice: A Handbook ([Link]/handbooks)
48. see: Hart, r (1992). Children’s participation: from tokenism to citizenship. Innocenti essays no 4. new york: unICeF
49. Johnson, L, Lewis, B et al (2001). A guide to engaging youth in Leadership and decision Making in service Learning Programs.
Washington: Points of Light Foundation ([Link]/pdffiles/YV_Guide.pdf)
21
 to, and an understanding of design, landscaping,
example planning, project management, graphic design,
sustainability, ecology, environmental issues,
the sorrell Foundation50 has worked resourcing, financing, educational approaches
with around 10,000 pupils through the and so forth. they are likely to encounter
joinedupdesignforschools process, which opportunities to develop their listening, thinking,
can be utilised for any type of school design debating, negotiation, analysis, oral, written,
or smaller intervention. It is intended to be visual, graphic and media communication skills.
PUTTINg CO-DeSIgN AT THe HeART Of leARNINg SPACe DeSIgN

started at the beginning of the design process Co-design can also provide opportunities to
as part of the vision and brief development develop mentoring, moderation and mediation
stage, prior to decisions being made. skills, foster an appreciation of the views
throughout, children are engaged in genuine of others, and a chance to reflect on and
dialogue with architects, designers and so celebrate their actions. If carried out effectively,
forth. Client teams of pupils follow creative participation can raise self esteem, a sense of
processes, getting involved in research, belonging, community connectedness, increase
meetings and discussions to create a brief aspirations and a belief that they can bring
for a design project alongside a designer about change and influence outcomes as they
or architect appointed to work for them. experience ‘lived citizenship’. these are in
addition to the rewards that might emanate
from the completion of a project, such as
improved play and learning spaces and
Case study experiences and the potential to share their
skills and knowledge with others, their
Partnership Council Children’s Forum, involvement in the ongoing stewardship,
Nottingham maintenance, reconfiguration and evolution of
any such space. Whilst this may seem like a
the Partnership Council’s Children’s Forum wish-list of desired outcomes, and remembering
was set up to support children of primary that not all children will benefit in the same
school age in inner-city nottingham to have ways, it creates a compelling case for giving
4 a voice and a positive impact on their local
community, through projects they identified
serious consideration to participatory co-design.

themselves. the Forum brings children and

service providers together to develop and fountaineers52
agree plans to implement change.
Fountaineers is a partnership project between
the Forum does not simply consult with Futurelab, stakeholder design and Luckwell
children but seeks to meaningfully involve Primary school. the aim was to use the
them in creating lasting and ongoing change. design and construction of an interactive,
the Forum recognises that by involving local programmable, ‘intelligent’ water fountain as
children in the decision-making process, a vehicle to explore issues around participation,
children are not only able to voice their learner voice and alternative approaches
concerns but they can work with others to to teaching and learning. the project also
find lasting solutions to local issues51. championed new locations for learning beyond
the classroom and indoor space.

there are numerous resources, examples the entire school cohort was involved in the
and research (a selection of which are listed design of the fountain, acting as researchers,
at the end of this section) that explore these co-designers, advisors and engineers,
issues further and illustrate the benefits that working alongside external designers and
arise from active participatory approaches with fountain experts. the design process enabled
children and young people. experimentation with different methods for
making decisions, working across ages, and
through the process of participatory co-design between children and staff, enabling greater
of learning spaces, young people can be exposed communication and understanding.
to a set of valuable experiences and broad
learning opportunities. these include exposure

50. [Link]
51. this case study appears in more detail, along with others on the Academy for sustainable Communities website:
[Link]
52. the case study is a result of findings from two research phases. the first Fountaineers research report can be found at
[Link]/projects/fountaineers. the second phase research report, by Peter Humphries, is forthcoming.
22
Promoting more learner voice, participation adequate structure for the process of achieving
and control amongst learners required this. Below are a few suggestions that may help
staff to adopt a different perspective about in promoting suitable participatory experiences.
children and their capabilities, and their own
_ Provide a wide range of resources, media
relationships with them. the project has
and contexts through which children can
inspired a more general change in practice
convey their thoughts, ideas and opinions.
and relationships towards more co-created,
facilitatory and supportive approaches. _ Provide compelling and engaging tasks. give

PUTTINg CO-DeSIgN AT THe HeART Of leARNINg SPACe DeSIgN

clear instructions on the process tasks but
teachers have been consistently impressed by little input into the detailed content, allowing
the work, commitment, ideas and abilities of children adequate space for their own
children. students’ abilities to work in teams, exploration of ideas.
to debate, compromise, collaborate and
_ Provide templates and guides to activities
make negotiated decisions have continued
– these should be clear and in appropriate
to improve and surpass initial teacher
language. guidance materials over the
expectations. the creative and problem-
course of a project, or an aspect of it,
solving aspects of the project have enabled
should be designed to convey instructions
certain individuals to demonstrate their
through a range of communication modes or
abilities in ways they have not previously
media where possible, and similarly should
been able to. Both staff and children have
encourage responses in a variety of ways.
shown they have a great deal to contribute
as co-learners and co-researchers in other _ offer a range of different contexts and
contexts and situations, and learning tools, opportunities for children’s input to cater
approaches and strategies have expanded, for different preferences and styles.
with learning appearing to be more authentic, _ ensure a range of activities for children
deep and relevant. Children in particular have to work alone, in pairs, small groups and
shown they are capable of stepping up to the whole-class and whole-school activities.
challenge of greater participation, and are
both willing and able to explore possibilities _ thoroughly ‘read’ children’s responses –
for more responsibility and self-management,
seemingly resulting in increased engagement
it is more than just what they say or present,
it also includes considering the way
4
and motivation and improved learning. they convey it, and when children convey
preferences for things such as shape, colour,
sound, textures, smells and so forth, they are
expressing aesthetic preferences about the
artefact or design as much as they are about
the more obvious and literal representations.
_ give children meaningful activities (although
the methods and approaches can be fun and
less structured) that have a tangible impact.
_ Communicate to children that their views,
ideas and thoughts are central and valued.
_ demonstrate how children’s participation
impacts upon design decisions and
celebrate this.
Clearly the participatory techniques and tools
for younger children can be very different _ engage children in reflective processes about
from those used to engage older pupils and the learning, problems and issues and value
youth groups. Professionals adopt a range of what has been learnt.
strategies to elicit children’s responses in the _ Celebrate achievements and communicate
classroom in relation to materials, content and promote these as much as possible.
and stimuli. It is essential to adopt appropriate
approaches that can elicit the views of children.
Adults have to adopt strategies that allow young
people to present their unique views, allowing
children great freedom in developing content
and ideas, whilst simultaneously providing

23
 be taken not to influence or reject imaginative
or alternative ideas that children may have.
Indeed, opportunities should be found to
actively encourage them, especially in the
earliest stages of visioning and planning.
the design process requires creative thinking,
innovation and new perspectives. designing
a learning and/or play space for the future
PUTTINg CO-DeSIgN AT THe HeART Of leARNINg SPACe DeSIgN

requires people to think differently and

challenge prior assumptions, rather than
merely updating what has gone before.

It has been argued that all language and thought

is ‘dialogic’ or relational, that is to say that
what we say and think is in response to things
that have happened or been said previously,
and which are regulated by an anticipation of
what we expect the likely response will be to
that thought or comment53. this highlights the
structured nature of conversations and thought.
Whilst this helps us make sense of the world, it
can also stifle creative thinking and innovation.
It is therefore important to create a culture
and ethos around design that accepts and
promotes new ideas from everyone involved and
a willingness to enter the realms of uncertainty
at times. utilising ‘what if..?’ scenarios or
questions, placing yourself in the position of
another individual or organisation, using random
4 Helle Nebelong
input techniques, viewing all ideas as good
ideas, using less literal interpretations and
promoting abstractions from unrelated ideas or
concepts, are just some of the techniques and
Children can gradually move from regulation approaches that are worth employing in order to
by others to self-regulation if appropriate stimulate greater creative thought and innovative
frameworks and strategies for eliciting and acting ideas amongst both children and adults.
upon their views are put in place. It is important
to offer structured scaffolding when concepts and the list below identifies further resources
views are first being introduced. techniques such that can help stimulate creative ideas, as
as storyboarding, role play, performance and well as suggesting approaches for engaging
interpretation of their ideas are effective ways of young people in participatory approaches,
helping learners convey their thoughts and ideas. and identifying other organisations that support
Likewise providing a range of broad and varied and promote children’s participation and rights.
stimuli and key, but not specific, questions to
promote thinking are useful.

Another key challenge, particularly for

educators, is that thinking about learning
spaces is structured and regulated to some
degree by both prior experience and the
context and space in which decisions are
made. Institutionalised and often subconscious
views about what learning and play spaces
are, what happens in them, what relationships
exist there, and their purpose, can limit the
realms of creative possibilities and care must

53. see for example: Bakhtin, MM [1930s] (1981) the dialogic Imagination: Four essays. ed Michael Holquist. trans Caryl emerson
and Michael Holquist. Austin and London: university of texas Press
Vygotsky, Ls (1987). thinking and speech. In Ls Vygotsky, Collected works (vol 1, pp39-285) (r rieber & A Carton, eds; n Minick,
trans). new york: Plenum
24
OTHEr USEfUl rESOUrCES Consulting Pupils - website with information for
schools interested in students as researchers work.
Children as Change Agents: guidelines for [Link]
child participation in periodic reporting on the
Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Children’s environments Research group
Miller, J (2007). World Vision (CeRg) makes the link between university
this publication offers an international and scholarship and the development of policies,
environments and programs that fulfil children’s

PUTTINg CO-DeSIgN AT THe HeART Of leARNINg SPACe DeSIgN

children’s rights perspective on participation,
offering insights into practice and policy for rights and improve the quality of their lives.
fostering participation with young people. [Link]/che/cerg/about_cerg/[Link]
the references provide other potential sources
those interested in this area. Can be found at: The Sorrell foundation does significant work
[Link]/docs/Guidelines_for_Child_ in this area, including the development of the
Participation_in_CRC_Reporting.pdf ‘What’s next for schools?’ exhibition and the
sorrell Foundation young design Centre, which
Spice it Up! Practical tools for engaging opened in 2007 and acts as a base to help
children and young people in planning and explain the benefits of engaging young people
consultations in the design process and offering a source
(Dynamix Ltd, Save the Children). Shephard, C of inspiration and ideas. It is currently also
and Treseder, P (2002). Save the Children working on the development of a unique archive
Manual providing more than 40 tried-and- and research centre to explore pupil voice.
tested activities and games to get children
and young people involved in the decision- What if...? Re-imagining learning Spaces.
making process in fun and engaging ways. Futurelab (2006)
report aimed at inspiring different perspectives
Participation Works is a consortium of and thinking around the design of learning
six leading children and young people’s spaces. A number of questions and scenarios
organisations, made up of: British youth aimed at promoting alternative approaches and
Council, Children’s rights Alliance for england, designs are presented.
national Children’s Bureau, national Council [Link]/whatif
4
for Voluntary youth services, national youth
Agency and save the Children – england. It Futurelab has also collected a number of other
provides expert advice to those wanting to give tools and techniques that can be applied to
a voice to children and young people. provide new approaches and opportunities for
[Link] learning and teaching. Many of these support
visioning, alternative approaches to problem
The Children Now Participation Charter sets identification and solving, and practical
out a vision for giving children and young people ways to involve others in creative processes.
a say in the decisions that affect them. see Futurelab’s bank of collected tools and
[Link]/charter resources at:
[Link]/projects/why_dont_you
enquire has produced a guide to involving
children and young people in decisions about edward de Bono is one of a number of
their education, which includes information renowned thinkers suggesting a wide array
about planning and tips for being inclusive. It of techniques and materials for stimulating
also has a summary of the law and an extensive innovative approaches and creative ideas.
resources section. [Link]
[Link]/pcp/pub/[Link] [Link]/[Link]

enquiring minds: A guide. For concise overviews of alternative approaches

John Morgan, Ben Williamson, Tash Lee and to education, see:
Keri Facer (2007). Bristol: Futurelab. Carnie, F (2002) Alternative Approaches to
enquiring Minds is a distinctive approach to education: A guide for parents and teachers.
teaching and learning that takes seriously the routledge Falmer.
knowledge, ideas, interests and skills that schome also provides a useful overview to
students bring into school. the guide provides alternative educational approaches. Visit:
practical guidance and key ideas on implementing [Link]/wikiworks/[Link]/
a student-led enquiry approach to education. Educational_approaches
[Link]/guide

25
 5. LeArnIng And
PLAyIng outdoors
Beginning the process of designing or
redesigning an outdoor play or learning space
can be a daunting one. However, there are a
range of organisations that specialise in this
area, and a number of resources are listed
below that may help your endeavour, as well
as other materials to inspire creative and
innovative thinking.

26 Helle nebelong
The importance of play and outdoor learning this document outlines the importance
there is a wealth of evidence of the wide and of developing engaging and stimulating play
varied benefits arising from outdoor learning and learning spaces to support the emotional,
and play54 and a range of organisations physical and social well-being of young people
and policy documents that promote young within their schools and communities.
children’s engagement, enjoyment and learning
outdoors. In 2006, the dfes published its Play is a crucial element in supporting
Learning outside the Classroom Manifesto55 children’s health, development and well-being
focusing on the “use of places other than the and a means through which they experiment,
classroom for teaching and learning” and develop their abilities, get creative and explore
stressing the need to provide more meaningful the world around them. effective play enables
learning through direct experience with the children to explore and create rules and
world outside the classroom. It also recognises understandings; develop resilience; be active;
this can and should happen within the school be creative and imaginative; practice new skills;
day, before and after school, during holidays learn about risks; stimulate their senses and
and in a range of different contexts and build friendships and relationships. Play can

leARNINg AND PlAyINg OUTDOORS

situations. the manifesto outlines that learning contribute immensely to children’s enjoyment
is more than merely the acquisition of certain of childhood, offering a place of sanctuary and
knowledge and information; and that learning also providing a therapeutic function by helping
outside the classroom is one vehicle to support them to deal with emotional circumstances and
the development of young people in both formal issues that can occur in their lives.
and informal ways in school grounds, the local
environment, local community spaces, places Children’s right to play is ratified within the
further afield, residential spaces and so forth. united nations Convention on the rights of
the manifesto pledges state the government’s the Child (unCrC), with Article 31 stating:
intent to:
_ Parties recognise the right of the child
_ provide all young people with a wide range to rest and leisure, to engage in play and
of experiences outside the classroom, recreational activities appropriate to the

5
throughout their education age of the child and to participate freely
in cultural life and the arts.
_ make the case for learning outside the
classroom, so that there is widespread _ Parties shall respect and promote the right
understanding and acceptance of the of the child to participate fully in cultural and
unique contribution these experiences artistic life and shall encourage the provision
make to young people’s lives of appropriate and equal opportunities for
cultural artistic, recreational and leisure activity.
_ offer learning experiences of agreed
high quality A range of government policies and initiatives
promote the importance of play and they
_ improve the quality and availability of training
have highlighted its centrality in delivering
and professional development for schools
the every Child Matters agenda. ‘Fair Play:
and the wider workforce
A consultation on the play strategy’56 sets out
_ support schools, early years settings and the value government places on play, whether
local authorities to enable them to manage in schools, public spaces, or through community
visits safely and efficiently provision, highlighting the need for play to be
an embedded, sustainable activity within society.
_ provide schools, early years settings,
local authorities and the wider workforce
with easy access to information, guidance
and resources
_ identify ways of engaging parents, carers
and the wider community in outside-the-
classroom activities.

54. see for example: rickson, M, dillon, J, teamey, K, Morris, M, Choi, M, sanders, d and Benefield, P (2004). A review of research
on outdoor Learning. Field studies Council. nFer and Kings College London
55. dfes (2006). Learning outside the Classroom Manifesto. London. Crown
56. Can be found at: [Link]/publications/fairplay/downloads/7567-DCFS-Fair%[Link]
27
 Fields in trust (FIt) (formerly the national Play england61 offers advice, case studies
Playing Fields Association)57, a charity that and examples of projects where outdoor
helps safeguard and improve outdoor play environments have been designed to offer free
spaces, produced the ‘Best Play’ guide58 in and inclusive play spaces. documents such
partnership with PLAyLInK59 and the Children’s as ‘the Charter for Children’s Play’62 highlight
Play Council60. this publication describes commitments to developing good learning
how young people benefit from a range of spaces, and through the design for Play63
play opportunities and highlights seven key guide, Play england sets out 10 key principles,
objectives that should inform any design of play which can further inform their design.
spaces and inform the basis against which play
provsion can be evaluated. the objectives are:
According to this guide, successful play spaces:
_ the provision extends the choice and control
that children have over their play, the _ are ‘bespoke’
freedom they enjoy and the satisfaction they
_ are well located
gain from it
_ make use of natural elements
leARNINg AND PlAyINg OUTDOORS

_ the provision recognises the child’s need to

test boundaries and responds positively to _ provide a wide range of play experiences
that need
_ are accessible to both disabled and non-
_ the provision manages the balance between disabled children
the need to offer risk and the need to keep
_ meet community needs
children safe from harm
_ allow children of different ages to play
_ the provision maximises the range of play
together
opportunities
_ build in opportunities to experience risk and
_ the provision fosters independence and
challenge
self-esteem
_ are sustainable and appropriately maintained
_ the provision fosters children’s respect for

5 others and offers opportunities for social

interaction
_ allow for change and evolution.
Lackney64 offers some other more specific
_ the provision fosters the child’s well-being, advice around the design of outdoor space.
healthy growth and development, knowledge
and understanding, creativity and capacity “Create spaces outside and adjacent to
to learn. the building on site, or on neighbouring
sites, that mirror learning space within the
building. locate outdoor play and activity
areas on the south of the building to catch
as much sun and light as possible, especially
in the winter, spring, and fall months. To
maximize the chance of year-round use
of parts of the outdoors, create favourable
microclimates by protecting outdoor
activity areas from prevailing winter winds
and from the extreme summer sun while
allowing winter sun to penetrate. As much
as possible, learning environments should
Play England
allow for a variety of learning activities and

57. [Link]
58. nPFA (2000). Best Play. What play provision can do for children. London, Children’s Play Council ([Link]/resources)
59. [Link]
60. Children’s Play Council has been superseded by Play england: [Link]
61. [Link]
62. Can be accessed at: [Link]/resources/[Link]
63. [Link]/resources/[Link]
64. Lackney, JA. educational design Principle no. 32: establish a variety of outdoor learning environments. In 33 Principles of
educational design. school design research studio ([Link]/[Link])
28
 experiences not available indoors such as
nature trails, gardens, exploratoriums,
fields, forested areas, ponds and other
natural outdoor learning settings. In school
settings where land is not available, or
funds do not allow, the school might take
advantage of the local community’s existing
neighbourhood resources such as parks,
public space, walking tours, and community
and business establishments.

Outdoor activity areas for younger

learners can be modelled after a series of
interconnected developmentally appropriate White and stoecklin66 (1998) also identify the
back yards, with resource-rich activity need for participatory design of outdoor spaces
pockets zoned appropriately and linked by and play areas. From their perspective, having

leARNINg AND PlAyINg OUTDOORS

clear circulation which overlooks. Provide both children and adults contributing to the
for a diversity of activities (i.e., not only design process is essential. they argue that
gross-motor play, but also reading/listening, teachers’ input is necessary for them to take
gardening, and fantasy play). ownership and encourage links between indoor
and outdoor learning; that parents need to be
Outdoor space can be used for more than involved so that they get a better understanding
simply “burning off energy” before the real of how ‘messy play’ can support their child’s
studying begins inside. Outdoor settings are development; that maintenance staff should
often a missed opportunity for learning and participate so they can provide appropriate
can be a valuable resource and laboratory support for the use of the space as it was
for exploratory learning not possible in built intended; but most of all that learners’ input is
environments.” supported because it assures that any space
becomes special to them, and moreover, when
there are a number of commentators and
organisations who not only believe that play is
supported effectively through a participatory
design process, children often design spaces
5
an essential and often overlooked element of very different to those designed for children by
children’s lives, but also believe that involving adults alone.
young people in the design of play spaces and
environments can be an essential element in Whilst the task may seem daunting, there
children’s development. For example, Learning are numerous sources of support to increase
through Landscapes65, the national schools understanding and provide evidence, examples,
ground charity, specialises in supporting the advice and guidance around the design of
development of enquiry-based environments outdoor learning and play spaces. the specific
that can be co-designed and nurtured by aims, space, opportunities and resources
children. It provides a wealth of evidence to available will have a significant impact on
show that well-designed, enquiry-based spaces the direction of outdoor play and space
can have positive effects, such as improving design. Below are just a few of the multitude
pupil behaviour, reducing bullying, promoting of excellent organisations, publications and
positive attitudes to learning, improving social references that might be useful in supporting
interaction and increasing parental and the development of outdoor play and learning
community involvement. space projects, whatever the chosen direction.

65. [Link]
66. White, r and stoecklin, B (1998). Children’s outdoor Play and Learning environments: returning to nature. Can be accessed at:
[Link]/children/articles/[Link]
29
 OTHEr USEfUl rESOUrCES The Children’s Play Information Service
(CPIS) is a national library and information
london Play works to promote accessible, service on children’s play, funded by the dCMs.
inclusive and quality play opportunities within Managed by the national Children’s Bureau,
the capital. Its site offers policy documents, it provides an enquiry service and a reference
links, case studies and a wealth of other library, with a range of factsheets available
inspiring resources to support the development from its website. A good resource for those
of good play spaces in a range of contexts looking for designers and architects to support
and environments. their play space design, as well as offering
[Link] articles and information to inspire thinking
and ideas.
Play england promotes access and opportunity [Link]/library/cpis
for free, inclusive and local play provision
and play space for all children and young fields In Trust (fIT) (formally NPfA) - is
people in england. the only independent uK-wide organisation
[Link] dedicated to protecting and improving outdoor
leARNINg AND PlAyINg OUTDOORS

sports and play spaces and facilities.

the free Play Network provides information, [Link]
support, best practice guidance, an image
gallery and links to promote better understanding Playday is a national campaign is committed
of the need for better play opportunities for to achieving the full implementation of the
children. By joining the Free Play network unCrC Article 31 and ensure all children in the
you have access to a range of individuals and uK can play by encouraging their participation
organisations that promote and support free in locally organised events and activities.
play opportunities for children. [Link]
[Link]
United Nations Convention on the Rights of
PlAylINK is a multi-faceted independent the Child. Can be accessed at:
play and informal leisure consultancy that [Link]/youthvoice/pdfs/[Link]
5 covers aspects of planning, design, policy,
Outdoor learning environments – national
strategy, local engagement, fundraising
organisational development. Its site has a good Clearinghouse for educational Facilities offers
selection of case studies and an interesting a useful resource list of links, books and
photo exhibition. It has a focus on delivering journal articles on the design, construction
sustainable benefits to young people and local and maintenance of school grounds to
communities through ‘on the ground’ work. support and enhance a school’s educational
[Link] objectives. see [Link]/rl/[Link].
For further information on establishing other
Department for education and Skills (DfeS) outdoor learning environments also visit:
‘Primary Ideas: Projects to enhance Primary [Link]/rl/[Link]
school environments’. London, tso. this [Link]/rl/[Link]
publication includes a ‘toolkit’ of some design
principles, creative ideas, case study projects The landscape Institute is the royal Chartered
and links to both national and international body for landscape architects, professionals
projects that can inspire good outdoor designs. who inspire people to expect the best from the
natural and built environments. the site offers
access to a specialist library of resources and
a public enquiry service to members.
[Link]

OPeNspace is the research centre for

inclusive access to outdoor environments.
[Link]

Snug and Outdoor is one of a number of

organisations that incorporate aspects of
co-design into their approach to develop more
Snug and Outdoor
dynamic and imaginative playgrounds.

30
they involve children and adults at every stage
of development and work closely with schools,
architects, contractors and engineers, utilising
some less than ‘traditional’ techniques in doing
so and offering interesting insights to help
children and adults rethink what is possible.
this type of approach means that learning
occurs in the design process as well as
thorough the interaction with the final output.
[Link]

The RBS Supergrounds Awards community

programme is delivered through Learning through
Landscapes and aims to help around 900 primary
schools worldwide in transforming existing school
grounds into attractive and stimulating places

leARNINg AND PlAyINg OUTDOORS

where children can learn and play in safety.
the programme has also developed a useful
‘Playground Planner’ and associated activities that
can support initial thinking and structuring during
development and design.
[Link]/schools_and_settings/
programmes/all-programmes.
htm?t=1&page=1&item=58

The International Play Association (IPA) is a

world-wide, non-governmental organisation
providing an inter-disciplinary forum for
discussion and action and offering a number of
resources and links to information to promote
children’s right to play.
5
Play England
[Link]/[Link]

The Association of Play Industries (API) is the Tim gill – Rethinking Childhood – a series
lead trade body within the sector representing of books and publications advocating child-
the interests of manufacturers, designers and friendly communities where children are
distributors of both indoor and outdoor play free to explore and learn.
equipment and areas. Its site offers a range of [Link]
links, information on products and services,
case studies and news and events relating to getting Serious About Play: A review of
children’s play areas. children’s play. DCMS (2004). London,
[Link] department for Culture, Media and sport

landscape Structures is one of a number of Best Play: What play provision can do for
providers of innovative playground equipment, children. NPFA (2000). London, Children’s Play
offering some interesting designs and creative Council.
play experiences for children that might [Link]/resources
provoke ideas for those thinking about play
space design. managing Risk in Play Provision. Play Safety
[Link] Forum (2002). London, Children’s Play Council.
[Link]/resources
Inflatable Play manufacturers Association
(IPMA) is a trade body representing the The Complete Playground Book. Brett, A,
interests of manufacturers of inflatable Moore, RC and Provenzo, EF Jr (1993). new
play equipment. york: syracuse university Press
[Link]

31
 6. Outdoor play and
learning provision
outside the classroom
When trying to think creatively about outdoor This section offers a small number of examples
learning and play spaces, it is useful to think of spaces that have been designed by, with, and
about spaces other than school grounds to for children and young people in community and
inspire ideas and designs for playgrounds and informal settings and in previously underutilised
outdoor learning spaces, giving consideration spaces, which illustrate the breadth of potential
to the different types of play and learning that approaches to designing outdoor experiences
occur in less formal settings. For example, for children. Clearly, there are far more
Tai et al (2006)67 give examples of sustainable possibilities than it is possible to outline here
designs of music gardens, barnyard settings, but the examples below provide a starting point
memorial gardens and others to demonstrate for reconsidering how and what type of play and
the diversity of spaces that are important to learning spaces might be designed or utilised.
children’s development. Exploring the vast
range of examples of play spaces, resources
and environments that children inhabit and
interact with, and seeking inspiration from
home environments, gardens, farms and virtual
spaces can all provoke ideas generation.

32 Martha Schwartz Partners

designing a new learning and/or play space
can offer opportunities to make significant
advances around pedagogical aims, practices
and relationships, or to integrate elements
within school or wider community spaces that

OUTDOOR PlAy AND leARNINg PROvISION OUTSIDe Of THe ClASSROOm

support other agendas, such as every Child
Matters. It could also represent an opportunity
to embed learning, approaches or indeed
extended services and other provision into day-
to-day aspects of school life. the government’s
definition of an extended school68 is one where
provision of services and activities is offered
by the school to meet the needs of pupils, other initiatives and organisations also promote
families and wider communities. these can the involvement of young people in outdoor
be integrated on site and within ‘traditional’ learning activities. the Federation of City
school hours and days, or before and after Farms and Community gardens71 works with
school. Any aspect of school design should a number of consortia and organisations, and
consider how these wider services might is integral to numerous government initiatives
be incorporated or linked to, as well as that promote outdoor learning, sustainability
what relationships with other organisations, and healthy lifestyles and communities. It
individuals and the wider community might be works in partnership with a number of other
formed and what other spaces may be used to key initiatives and organisations, which offer
provide better environments and experiences further opportunities for outdoor learning
for children. and engagement with the environment. For
example, it partners with: growing schools72 -
A number of established organisations and a dCsF-run initiative to enhance learning and
initiatives already provide opportunities for teaching through farming and growing; the
play and learning in non-school settings. school Farms network (sFn)73 - a registered
For example, the Forest education Initiative charity offering support and information to
(FeI)69 seeks to increase the understanding
and appreciation amongst children and adults
promote community-managed farms, gardens,
allotments and other green spaces and
6
of the environmental, social and economic school farms across the uK; Access to Farms
potential of trees, woodlands and forests. (AtF)74 – a partnership which aims to improve
Forest schools70 similarly offers outdoor the opportunities and quality of educational
learning experiences in local woodland access to farms by schools; the Allotments
environments, which aim to provide practical regeneration Initiative (ArI)75 – which offers
and engaging tasks that can help develop advice and support for regenerating allotments
intrinsic motivation, sound emotional and and sharing good practice; sustainable
social skills and greater self-awareness. Production in Active neighbourhoods76 - funded
Forest school leaders work with children, by the environmental Action Fund – seeking
initially on projects run from their own grounds, to improve support and information services
gardens or playing fields, which allow children to community groups to enable local people
to become comfortable with an outdoor to become involved in food production and
approach to education and play, before moving consumption; every Action Counts (eAC)77
to woodland settings and undertaking activities - an initiative for community and voluntary
that are aimed to foster trust, self-exploration groups aiming to bring people together to
and to develop a more child-led outdoor take practical steps to improve their local
curriculum. environment through simple actions.

67. tai, L, taylor Haque, M, McLellan, g and Jordan Knight, e

(2006). designing outdoor environments for Children: Landscaping
schoolyards, gardens, and playgrounds. Macgraw-Hill
68. [Link]/wholeschool/extendedschools
69. [Link]
70. [Link]
71. [Link]
72. [Link]
73. [Link]/[Link]
74. [Link]/atf
75. [Link]/ari
76. [Link]/[Link]
77. [Link]/every-action-counts
33
 A more holistic approach to the provision The Spacemakers project:
of outdoor play and learning space may young people designing a public space
require not only taking advantage of a range
of initiatives and organisations that support
learning in more diverse locations, but also
OUTDOOR PlAy AND leARNINg PROvISION OUTSIDe Of THe ClASSROOm

working with the local community to transform

or design spaces that provide mutual benefit
other than the school site.

The Calthorpe Project78

lOCI Design

spacemakers was a two-year project in which

young people designed a public space within
their own community. the project sought to
involve disenfranchised youth in shaping their
own environment, improving their self-esteem
and fostering a sense of ownership. the young
Calthorpe Project people took part in courses around the design
of public spaces, learning about regeneration
the Calthorpe Project is a unique building issues, public speaking, planning and
integrally linked to a small, multi-use green negotiating, as well as learning about and
space in London’s King’s Cross. Created from utilising a range of participatory techniques
wasteland, it has now been redesigned and and tools. they worked alongside designers,
transformed into a lovely garden and space architects, designers and educators, to co-
that offers varied activities and services for design a stainless steel seating, shelter and
6 children and adults, ranging from gardening, play area in and for their local community.
an under-5’s drop-in, and esoL classes with
a crèche. the site also includes a one-acre For more information visit:
organic community garden for local people to [Link]/ccm/cms-service/
tend and a floodlit sports pitch for hire. download/asset/?asset_id=27736157
[Link]/archive/
casestudies/spacemakers
Brainstorming potential relationships
and alternative and additional spaces for
development prior to embarking on design is a
valuable process, in order to explore more ways
to provide stimulating spaces and experiences
other than within the school grounds. It is worth
utilising techniques such as developing an ‘asset
map’79 of the social and cultural resources
within a local community, which identify the
range of people, associations, institutions,
physical and economic assets that might support
lOCI Design
you in developing better or more comprehensive
outdoor play and learning opportunities.

78. [Link]
79. Asset maps have been applied usefully in a number of contexts. For more information about asset maps, see for example:
the ABCd Institute (2005). discovering Community Power: A guide to mobilizing local assets and your organization’s capacity.
Written in cooperation with the WK Kellogg Foundation ([Link]/ipr/abcd/[Link])
34
 OUTDOOR PlAy AND leARNINg PROvISION OUTSIDe Of THe ClASSROOm
6

Play england80 recognises the numerous and most important and successful aspect of the
varied examples of practice and strategies in project and that some of the young people
operation in different sites offering free and are still involved with the project82. there are
inclusive play provision for children: from numerous examples, such as the one below,
organised activities to unstructured to free play; that highlight the benefits of involving young
from open to regulated access; in rural and people in the design of shared spaces outside
urban locations; as part of school or extended the school.
school services to community locations and
partnerships. CABe is another organisation My City too83 is a campaign created by
that offers advice to local play partnerships. open House84. It works with young people -
the CABe space project led to a publication ambassadors aged 12-19 - across London to
which provides case studies examples and inspire them to take a more active role in the
ideas around urban space design projects design of spaces, highlighting the importance
where young people were directly involved in and value of involving young people in the
the design process in order to foster a sense design of spaces they will inhabit. Whilst still
of ownership and responsibility that brought relatively early in its development, young people
benefits to whole community81. In 2008, a have already created a ‘teenagers’ Manifesto
follow-up study was undertaken in which for Better spaces in the Capital’, which offers
project leaders identified that engaging young a useful insight into some of the issues around
people and the local community was the single design that are important to them.

80. [Link]
81. CABe (2004). What would you do with this space? Involving young people in the design and care of urban spaces. Can be
downloaded at: [Link]/[Link]?contentitemid=482
82. the follow up report can be found at: [Link]/[Link]?contentitemid=2720
83. [Link]
84. [Link]
35
 my City Too: Teenagers’ manifesto 9. We want trees, pools and fountains
for Better Spaces in the Capital everywhere
greenery and water features have a calming
1. Let us have our say and young people will effect and make places feel more welcoming.
be fully involved in planning, designing
OUTDOOR PlAy AND leARNINg PROvISION OUTSIDe Of THe ClASSROOm

and decision-making in their city 10. We want everyone to be able to move

around London
We can’t vote – yet – but it is our city too!
We can help improve places and spaces Provide ramps and lifts in all public spaces
and we’ll use and respect them more if so everyone can be part of the capital.
we’ve been asked.
2. We want every inch of the capital to be there will be potential for some schools to
used and not left derelict explore the link to other community spaces,
even if unused spaces can’t be organisations and schools through the various
redeveloped immediately, we’ll help you capital investment programmes, other initiatives
find new uses for them; when left derelict and partnerships. It is worth investigating pre-
they are dangerous and make our area existing schemes, community facilities and other
look and feel abandoned. partnership and sponsorship opportunities, and
considering how resources and skills might be
3. We need sheltered places to sit and to shared more effectively with others to design
meet people that are better designed and new spaces, or redesign existing non-school
well looked after environments. other organisations that provide
Quality design and materials that are well extended services for children may also be
looked after tell our communities that we useful partners in developing play and learning
are worth investing in. opportunities elsewhere that complement those
offered within the school grounds.
4. We need broader pavements and car-free
streets

6
Pedestrian areas need to be planned and
designed to be safer for everyone.
5. We want lively streets with better and
more creative lighting
Busy, well-lit areas will help us and
everyone else feel safe on our streets.
6. We want every generation to have their own
corner in public spaces, acknowledging
their needs and making them feel welcome oderick Coyne © Alsop

separating activity zones for small children,

teenagers, adults and senior citizens Fawood Children’s Centre in Harlesden, for
through soft zoning (floor markings, tree example, is a highly versatile space that provides
fences, etc) will ensure everyone feels happy accommodation for a range of uses.
about sharing the same public space.
the Container City™85 system uses linked
7. We want play and performance areas
shipping containers that are combined to create
for young people that are at the heart of
a variety of spaces to suit user needs. using 20
shopping centres, main streets and parks
containers set over three floors, new spaces for
design places where we can meet each a nursery, office space and an adult education
other and be seen doing something centre were created, which were housed under a
worthwhile while feeling safe. brightly coloured meshed shell.
8. We want playful signs, bright colour
there are an increasing number of projects
schemes and changing public art
offering different space for play and learning for
give our local areas a stronger identity and children housed on ‘mixed service’ sites. these not
make them places that we are proud of. only include areas more traditionally concerned
with extended services but also those which offer

85. For more information visit the Container City website: [Link]
36
community services, housing, office space and
shopping, many incorporating outdoor spaces.

this highlights that outdoor play and learning

provision can occur in many spaces. to create

OUTDOOR PlAy AND leARNINg PROvISION OUTSIDe Of THe ClASSROOm

a more holistic and comprehensive provision
for children requires greater joined-up thinking,
cooperation and liaison between the various
spaces and organisations. If good links and
coherent provision are provided across a local
area then it is more likely that not only will
children have more opportunities and better
experiences but also that such connections
provide schools with greater opportunities to
diversify provision and curriculum pathways,
personalise experiences to individual needs, and
provide greater economies of scale for doing so.
For instance, it is not beyond the realm of
possibility that each school in the local area
could provide different, specialised or focused
play provision catering for different learning
and play needs, and that each child from all of
those schools would get regular opportunities
to experience each different space and provision.
this might be complemented further through
their experiences in different community spaces,
those which provide extended provision, and the
various local schemes that support learning
outdoors. school-based play and learning
resources could also be experienced by others
as part of a wider community provision. Private
6
Alan lei © Alsop
sponsorship and public-private partnerships
could also be sought to fill any perceived
gaps in provision that might be identified. Conversely, other spaces also offer inside
spaces or covered spaces in outdoor areas.
the opportunities for outdoor play and learning For those who are planning partial or full scale
have always occurred in different sites, but redesigns, this mixture of ‘outside-in, inside-out’
scaled investment programmes mean that there experiences can blur the boundaries and
are new opportunities to make more coherent create more continuity between what happens
connections between inside and outside school outdoors and what happens inside the school,
provision and across institutions. the inside- with the psychology of the space prompting
outside metaphor can also be taken in a less different behaviours and relationships to arise.
literal sense. Many new buildings are being
created with outdoor spaces located indoors, this section has sought to give ideas and
that is, open garden and play areas housed examples from, and for, provision that occurs
within the outer exterior of buildings. other than in the school. It highlights the
need to consider existing spaces, community
resources, linking with other schemes
and pooling resources to provide more
comprehensive and holistic learning and
play opportunities. there is a wealth of other
information, examples and support in this area,
and a few key resources are identified below.

the next section looks at how new technologies

might be used to enhance outdoor provision
and children’s experiences by transforming
what outdoor learning and play spaces are
roderick Coyne © Alsop
and what they might be perceived to be.

37
 OTHEr USEfUl rESOUrCES
The National Clearinghouse for educational
facilities is one of the richest resource lists for
links to organisations, books, guidance, journals
OUTDOOR PlAy AND leARNINg PROvISION OUTSIDe Of THe ClASSROOm

and articles on the design, construction, and

maintenance of school grounds to support and
enhance a school’s educational objectives. It has
a specific resource list on school grounds and
outdoor learning environments and provides a
great basis for further research in this area.
[Link]

The Children’s Play Information Service

hosts a collection of play strategies from
around the country. It also has a list of the
play associations around the country.
[Link]/library/cpis

TeacherNet provides a range of information learning Through landscapes

relating to policy and advice on setting up
extended services. local food is a £50 million programme that
[Link]/wholeschool/ will distribute grants to a variety of food-related
extendedschools projects to help make locally grown food
accessible and affordable to local communities.
The Community Spaces Programme is a £50 [Link]
million lottery-funded open grants scheme
providing funding and support to community Allotment growing – garden Design:
groups across england. the scheme aims landscape gardening. Personal site of John
6 to help groups create or improve green and Harrison has articles, a diary, images and links
open spaces to improve the quality of local to other resources and organisations involved
neighbourhoods. and interested in allotments and landscape
[Link] gardening.
[Link]
groundwork delivers programmes in
partnership with a wide variety of organisations Cities for Children: Children’s rights, poverty
to support communities in need with the aim of and urban management. Bartlett, S, Hart, R,
improving the quality of people’s lives and the Satterthwaite, D, De La Barra, X and Messair,
places where they live, work and play. It aims A (1999). earthscan, London in association with
to develop more sustainable communities that unICeF, new york, 1999.
respect the local and global environment. [Link]/che/cerg/publications/books/
[Link] books_cities_for_children_index.htm

38
 7. neW teCHnoLogIes
trAnsForMIng outdoor
LeArnIng And PLAy sPACe
new technologies can and do enhance a examples of how new technologies can enhance
number of spaces and places; however, with play and learning spaces are, however, plentiful
the exception of a number of special schools, and varied. the examples of technologies and
the incorporation of new technologies into environments outlined below should give you
outdoor spaces in school settings is relatively some ideas about the types of technologies that
limited. Clearly incorporating new technologies might be appropriate to enhance your outdoor
into outdoor learning and play spaces should space or aspects of it, and how they can support
not be undertaken merely for the sake of it, or and promote the types of activities you want
to give the appearance of modernisation, but to encourage.
instead will be best and most appropriately
applied when it significantly contributes to and
enhances the wider learning aims and play
experiences and activities for young people.

40
mobile technologies meaning that the text or caption can be
there are numerous types of mobile devices, searched for automatically and reused through
such as mobile or handheld computers; online photo sharing sites suchas Flickr91.
communication devices such as mobile and Whether using pre-defined or self-created tags,

NeW TeCHNOlOgIeS TRANSfORmINg OUTDOOR leARNINg AND PlAy SPACe

cordless phones, pagers, walkie-talkies; games children can convey more about the image,
consoles and personal navigation devices; adding a further dimension for interaction and
media recorders such as digital video cameras, discussion with others, and incorporating into
voice recorders, media players and so forth. visual displays. such displays could be used
these can be used in interesting and novel to support discussions around the design of a
ways to enhance the outdoor learning and play space, or could be incorporated and integrated
experiences of young people, through their use into the outdoor space. similarly, digital video
in communication-based activities, information and related software can be used as a tool
and data gathering, role play and the like. for participation and expression. the process
of creating a video can be also be a great
using mobile devices for technology-enhanced learning experience. davies (2008)92 outlines six
outdoor learning and play, for example, can be steps to creating online video in his practical
seen through the use of portable computers guide, which offer opportunities for various
to collect data sets, using images, sounds skills acquisition for young people beyond the
and video to help children create and support technical and media literacy that is developed
them in interpreting their outdoor experiences as a result:
and comprehending abstract information.
_ create a story board
they can also be used to enable children to
have a ‘voice’ by helping them to express their _ find (or create) the footage
interests, concerns and opinions in alternative
_ transfer and convert
ways, or when used as a tool for young children
to initiate enquiry. Participation Works, a _ edit your video
collaboration of agencies committed to children _ upload your video
and young people’s participation, has recently
published a ‘How to’ guide that outlines how _ embed your video.
multimedia can be used as a dynamic tool to
engage children and young people in decision-
7
Again, video can be published, shared and
making processes87. discussed, offering the opportunity for children
to link to other individuals and organisations
recent developments in editing software88 can interested in the same issues as them.
further assist their narrative development and Final outputs can convey the meanings and
storytelling capabilities and help them convey thoughts of children in dynamic and interesting
information. developments in social software89 ways, and through the use of visual display
can also help place children in a more active technologies can be incorporated into and
roles as authors and content creators and enhance outdoor play and learning spaces.
enable them to collaborate with others in new
ways. digital cameras, for example, enable other mobile devices and software can be
images to be taken, and various software used not only to collect and reformat data for
packages90 allow them to be manipulated in sharing with others but can also be used to
different ways, including the addition of tags overlay virtual worlds onto physical landscapes.
to photos. tagging is essentially the ability Mediascapes93 are a potentially powerful way
to add keywords to describe and add further of enabling children to engage with the world
visual data to the image. other software can around them and explore and interact with
enable ‘reading and writing’ to these keywords,

87. [Link]/every-action-counts
88. For instance, nokia Lifeblog, available for download [Link]/photos is a multimedia diary and website tool that collects
photos, videos, sound clips and texts messages that users create or receive on their mobile phones. It organises all the contents in a
timeline that can be downloaded on a PC and edited.
89. see Futurelab report about social software and learning, available at
[Link]/resources/documents/opening_education/Social_Software_report.pdf
90. Many editing software packages are available for free on the web, such as google’s Picasa ([Link]) or Flickr’s
web-based editing suite ([Link]).
91. [Link]
92. tim davies (2008). six steps to effective online Video. Created for oxfam Video Change ([Link])
93. HP has developed specific mediascape technologies: [Link]/mediascapes
41
 the landscape in new and exciting ways. using identification metadata to media to provide
PdAs, gPs units, and special software94, it dynamic outdoor experiences.
is possible to create and view compositions
of sounds, images and video placed outside. Another example is Futurelab’s Mobimissions95,
NeW TeCHNOlOgIeS TRANSfORmINg OUTDOOR leARNINg AND PlAy SPACe

Beginning with a map of the area that is to be in which players engage with their environment
explored and importing it into the software on and community in new ways, creating missions
a computer, ‘regions’ can be attached that can on their mobile phones, which they can then
then be filled, or tagged with, images, video ‘drop’ in locations around the city. the locations
and sound files. these media-rich maps can are defined by the mobile ‘cells’, that is, the
then be transferred to portable devices and the geographical areas comprised in a mobile
mediascapes can then be experienced outdoors phone network, and the missions are activated
when the gPs unit recognises your position in when someone with the Mobimissions software
the outdoor space. loaded on their mobile walks into a cell.

Technology creating sensory environments

Create-A-Scape Multi-sensory rooms (Msrs) and spaces are
largely used as therapeutic environments, often
to re-create conditions that facilitate relaxation
and promote activity and interactivity between
individuals and various stimuli. Much depends
on the particular aims relating to the specific
needs of the end-users. such technologies
are usually used alongside other non-digital
artefacts and can include other features such
as tactile and varied surfaces, textures and
fabrics, mirrors, mirror balls, ball pools, swings,
water beds and games, to name but a few.

Many of the technologies can also readily be

7 Create-A-scape is a website that provides
incorporated into outdoor space to create
multi-sensory interactive environments.
clear instructions and resources aimed Various natural sensory stimuli may already
at schools and other learning institutions exist and can be enhanced significantly
to enable the creation of mediascapes, through creative landscaping and design. new
or digitally-enhanced outdoor learning technologies can potentially further enhance
experiences. the sensory aspects of an outdoor space and
go to: [Link] increase interaction, stimulation and feedback.

For example, lighting can be used to: flood

Mediascapes offer a different way of interacting areas with colours and create moods; enable
with the outdoor environment and can be children to change and control the environment
created for a number of purposes. these range by using switches and triggers; affect the ‘feel’
from creating basic guided tours, providing of an environment in response to children’s
structured exploration of factual information preferences, or in response to other stimuli or
in situ, learning from, with and in the changes in the environment via programming
environment, developing outdoor games with software and sequencers. Fibre optics can be
clues and involving other artefacts, through used in sprays and other designs that change
to more open learner-devised and created colour, pattern and mood. Proximity, colour,
content. In this sense they are versatile in their speed or accelerometer and compass sensors
application to the space, and new mediascapes can be used to enable objects to ‘come to life’
can be created constantly and overlaid onto any and react to children’s behaviours. Projection
school grounds or other outdoor space. and screen-based technologies can: provide
background lighting, images or effects on walls,
this is one example of new and emerging ceilings and floors; help represent moods and
locative technologies that are based on geo- themes; convey information, via text, images
tagging, as a means of adding geographical and video; be used for dynamic displays;

94. see, for instance, [Link]/[Link]

95. [Link]/projects/mobimissions
42
 NeW TeCHNOlOgIeS TRANSfORmINg OUTDOOR leARNINg AND PlAy SPACe
Sensory Technology
7

offer sensory stimuli, especially if utilising Case study

audio. ultrasonic beams96 and vibro-acoustic
equipment can enable children to interact with ‘Banabi’ is an audio-visual pedagogic gaming
equipment to convert movement into electronic experience for young children. the game uses
sounds. electronic music or artefacts, such children’s positions on the floor as input to
as synthesisers, drums and objects and control the game. the position is tracked by a
surfaces that emanate sound on touch, can webcam, and everytime the child steps onto
increase interactivity levels and learning in the the playground little creatures are projected
environment; sequencers enable programmed onto the floor and sounds are produced; these
and programmable music and sounds, which react to the child’s position, stimulating play
can respond to triggers; and radios, Cd players, and movement to work out an audio-visual
MP3 players, speakers, amplifiers and other sequence.
sound equipment can be used to enhance
the environment and atmosphere or relay [Link]/
information. archives/2005/01/[Link]

More specialised technologies such as bubble

machines and columns, vibrating surfaces,
conveyors, infinity tunnels and a range of
assistive or adaptive technologies could also
be incorporated, depending on the space and
needs of pupils.

96. see for example: [Link]/dance/[Link]

43
 In terms of designing spaces with objects Case study
and artefacts that can increase activity and
interactivity, incorporating designs with MIMO Sensory garden systems featuring accessible
(Multi Input Multi Output) characteristics is one interactive elements combining lighting, audio
NEW TECHNOLOGIES TRANSFORMING OUTDOOR LEARNING AND PLAY SPACE

approach that can be taken. Utilising various and water equipment have been developed for
sensors, pressure pads and other triggers can children with special needs.
cause the artefact to react, which invariably
causes reactions amongst children as they Bishopswood Special School
attempt to work out which of their actions At this school a dynamic sensory garden has
caused this occurrence or chain of events. been designed next to the school playground,
As Song97 (2008) suggests, “input-driven utilising seismic sensors buried under
electronic devices support interactivity by coloured steps and stones, which are then
allowing communication between the source triggered by children’s feet and produce
and the user”. Furthermore, if these are used in natural and amusing sounds from in-ground
conjunction with programming environments98 speakers.
that enable reconfiguration, then the artefact
potentially becomes more versatile and
sustainable in the degree to which it can be
used and reinterpreted by the children who
will use it over time.

The general ambience of a space can be altered

dramatically using relatively simple projection,
display and signage technologies and light-
emitting surfaces. However, ambient intelligent
spaces incorporate interactivity between
artefacts and displays and humans, which, in Magic Fountains

turn, change the ambience of the environment.

It is argued that in this sense, the spatial James Hopkins Trust sensory garden
7 flexibility and versatility is enhanced99. This garden for special needs children has
been designed with a ‘Whispering Wall’, which
forms part of a mosaic depicting the JHT kite
logo with additional sensors to trigger funny
and natural sound effects through ‘reflection
ports’ recessed into the wall.

Magic Fountains

Enric Ruiz-Geli ©cloud 9 © Credit Here

From [Link]/
installations/[Link]
‘EnterActive’ in Los Angeles, designed by
Electroland, built in 2006, uses LED panels
on its façade that respond to the movement of Dario Buzzini’s interactive wall, developed in
tentative visitors, and Cloud 9 Architecture’s 2004, and Kinecity’s ‘Comment Wall’, an idea
Hotel Prestige Forest to be developed in developed in 2005, both continuously display
Barcelona, Spain, has an ‘energy mesh’ façade messages and images which are input or
which conveys the amount of solar energy requested by users.
collected during the day by glowing in different
colours at night.

97. Song, S (2008). Shifting Paradigms: Renovating the decorated shed. Article exploring theories discussed in Robert Venturi and
Denise Scott Brown’s Architecture as Signs and Systems: For a Mannerist Time
([Link]/features/[Link]?id=75250_0_23_0_C)
98. There are numerous programming software and environments. See for example: [Link]
99. Song, op cit
44
Inputs (sensors)
Sound sensors
Proximity sensor
Pressure pad

NeW TeCHNOlOgIeS TRANSfORmINg OUTDOOR leARNINg AND PlAy SPACe

Outputs
Speakers
Lights
Water spouts
Main water spout

Fountaineers, a partnership project between new technologies can add much to the
Futurelab, stakeholder design and Luckwell ambience and function of outdoor practices
Primary school, led to the design and and the experience of children who react
construction of an interactive, programmable, to and interact with them, whether these
‘intelligent’ water fountain. the fountain are utilised to promote play, stimulate the
design incorporated MIMo characteristics senses, relay information or provide flexible
and is configurable in multiple ways and and reconfigurable resources that can foster
programmable by children. the diagram above a sense of ‘ownership’ of a place. the type of
demonstrates how the use of lights, speakers, technologies, and the ways and degree to which
proximity, sound and pressure sensors are they are used, will be mediated by various
incorporated and these can be programmed factors, such as the wider aims of the project,
via Lego Mindstorms nXt software, with the the needs of the children, and the practicalities
outputs viewed through a simulator. of incorporating them. A contentious issue is the
Creating ambient environments that change degree to which they can and should be used
in response to people’s actions, reactions and in relation to their impact on the environment.
moods, or can be abstract interpretations of Issues of environmental, social and design
information, is a developing area of design and is sustainability will be looked at in more detail
often referred to as ‘ambient intelligence’, which in the next section.
is a attempt to strike a balance between the
aesthetic and informational properties of spaces.

45
 OTHEr USEfUl rESOUrCES magic fountains is a company that designs
and constructs animated, interactive, musical,
Special Children, April 2008, has an excellent programmed fountains and sensory play
article on the use and development of multi- equipment, ranging from programmed displays
NeW TeCHNOlOgIeS TRANSfORmINg OUTDOOR leARNINg AND PlAy SPACe

sensory. Can be accessed at: to bespoke voice-activated, video-sensing,

[Link]/publications/ touch-control sensory play equipment for
special-children-1993 special needs. Its site contains numerous case
studies and an overview of an extensive range
imuse is a centre for research and training of products.
in the use of interactive multisensory [Link]
environments for children with special needs
and the elderly in long-term care based at Tim Davies’ blog has a range of interesting
sunderland university. articles and links around youth participation
[Link]/web/projects/imuse/ and social media and some case study
ahome examples of different technologies being
used to support participation in practice.
Becta provides a range of guidance and advice [Link]
surrounding the use of assistive and alternative
technologies. Becta also provides a range of
information on the types of mobile phones and
other mobile devices, their functionality and
issues to consider when using them in school.
[Link]
[Link]

The gATeWAy Project website aims to raise

awareness among young people, educators and
employers relating to the variety of assistive
technologies available and the resulting
7 capabilities of people with disabilities. It offers
practical, non-technical advice to potential
users or information seekers and acts as
a gateway to further assistive technology
information.
[Link]/[Link]?page_ID=1

there are numerous market providers who

offer tools and services that will give you a
better idea of the full range of different multi-
sensory products on offer. For example, the
technical solutions website demonstrates the
huge range of special equipment for people
with disabilities (Assistive technology).
[Link]/[Link]

Sensory Technology ltd is a uK-based

business that specialises in the design,
manufacture, sales and installation of products
and systems for the multi-sensory market.
[Link]

46
 8. sustAInABILIty And
sustAInABLe deVeLoPMent
there are numerous contested interpretations However, the Brundtland Commission (formally
of both sustainability and sustainable the World Commission on environment and
development100, and the terms are often used development) defines sustainable development
interchangeably101. definitions vary depending as that which “meets the needs of the present
on the perspective employed, context in which without compromising the ability of future
they are operationalised, issues they refer to, generations to meet their own needs”103, and
and the scale of issue under discussion. Whilst similarly the dCsF defines it as “development
there are no agreed definitions of sustainability that allows people to meet their basic needs
and sustainable development, it is also argued and enjoy a good quality of life without
that there is possibly no need for one102 because compromising the quality of life of future
they are emerging and evolving concepts that generations”104. sustainability tends to suggest
are defined by action at global, national and a stable and mutual supporting relationship
local levels and by the implications for our lives. between human activities and the natural world
and its resources.

design share: Harwood school, Alan dunlop Architects

48
As well as the ecological dimension, there _ local well-being
are other aspects of sustainability and
_ global dimension.
sustainable development to consider in
relation to design and planning, such as:
As well as providing an overarching framework,
the economic sustainability of a project; the
practical guidance, ideas and links to other
sustainable provision of services and products;
resources, it seeks to ensure that sustainability
social sustainability; and the sustainability of
issues are embedded more deeply within whole-
processes and activities.
school management practices. Practically, the
strategy is also a good resource for creating
developing critical awareness of sustainability
interest and ideas around local design in relation
and sustainable development amongst all
to an important global concept that will have an
stakeholders prior to any design decisions

SUSTAINABIlITy AND SUSTAINABle DevelOPmeNT

effect on all of our lives. the national College
being made is crucial. It provides a valuable
for school Leadership has also developed a
way for participants to learn more about global,
toolkit107 specifically aimed at school leadership
national and local issues, which can inform
teams to help them understand and focus their
wider thinking and practice. Moreover, many
school activities around sustainability.
commentators firmly believe that participatory
democracy is a fundamental prerequisite for
A guidance document, ‘sustainable schools:
achieving sustainable development, as the
How national recognition schemes can support
education of individuals and the modelling
your school’s progress’108, has been compiled
of sustainable practices is in itself a route to
by organisations that run some of the larger
achieving more sustainable futures105.
national schemes and programmes that can
support the sustainable schools strategy.
Measures and ways of evaluating design and
schemes including eco-schools109, Food for
operating performance of spaces are critical.
Life Partnership Mark110, Healthy schools111,
the dCsF’s sustainable schools strategy106 sets
International school Award112, rHs Campaign
out the government’s approach and also where
for school gardening113, rights respecting
it expects schools to be by 2010 in relation to
schools Award114 and rsPB Wildlife Action
sustainability. It highlights eight interconnected
8
Awards115 are mapped against the eight
sustainability ‘doorways’ that play a major role in
‘doorways’ in the sustainable schools strategy
school life through which schools might initiate,
in order to demonstrate how each one can help
address or extend their sustainable school
advance sustainable development in schools.
activities. these ‘sustainability doorways’ are:
_ food and drink Sustainable Schools (SuSchool)116 takes a
slightly different approach but offers help for
_ energy and water
schools that wish to become more sustainable
_ travel and traffic through a wealth of useful resources, links,
lessons plans, ideas and inspiration ideas for
_ purchasing and waste
improving sustainability in school design, and
_ buildings and grounds has specific advice on developing sustainable
_ inclusion and participation playgrounds and outdoor spaces.

100. see for example: [Link]/sustdev/[Link]

101. see for example: Carter, n (2002). the Politics of the environment: Ideas, activism, policy. Cambridge university Press
102. see for example: Macleod, H. teaching for a sustainable World. unesCo - uneP International environmental education Programme
103. united nations (1987). report of the World Commission on environment and development. general Assembly resolution 42/187,
11 december 1987
104. [Link]/aboutus/sd/[Link]
105. Mintzer, IM (1992). Confronting Climate Change: risks, implications and responses. Cambridge university Press
106. [Link]/sustainableschools/upload/Sustainable_Schools_doorways.pdf
107. [Link]/[Link]
108. Can be found at: [Link]/publications
109. [Link]
110. [Link]
111. [Link]
112. [Link]/[Link]
113. [Link]/schoolgardening
114. [Link]/schoolgardening
115. [Link]/youth/makeanddo/do/actionawards/[Link]
116. [Link]
49
 the Children’s Plan117 clearly sets ambitious but also has links to all the key documents
targets for all new school buildings to be in this field to support leadership teams and
zero carbon by 2016 and for all schools to be classroom practitioners in their drive towards
sustainable schools by 2020, with new builds sustainable design. other publications, such as
reducing carbon emissions by 60%. Building Bulletin 99122, offer non-statutory area
guidelines for primary school buildings, whilst
the dCsF also offers a range of resources and others, such as Primary Ideas123 and schools
guidance to support schools in their approach for the Future: designing school grounds124
to sustainability and how to embed core offer further information, tools and resources,
principles and practice118 in all areas of school which outline how you might rebuild, refurbish
life, and to help whether you are designing and use schools and school grounds in keeping
indoor or outdoor spaces in primary schools. with educational, recreational, social and
SUSTAINABIlITy AND SUSTAINABle DevelOPmeNT

the design of sustainable schools report119, environmental needs.

for example, presents a series of case studies
aimed at professionals such as designers and Designing adaptability and reconfiguration
local authority clients and outlines a range of there are other aspects of design sustainability
available sustainability techniques which can be that also need consideration.
applied to different contexts and settings.
designs should consider different ways
some of the practical applications of a more of adapting and reconfiguring space in
sustainable approach in design include using: low response to changes in spatial requirements,
impact materials; energy efficient resources and demographics, policies, and the learner needs
products; renewable materials and resources; as core aspect of sustainability in order to
durable materials; and recyclable and reusable maintain the cultural relevance of the space
materials. It also means considering how to for the community that utilises, interacts with
design healthy spaces for the occupants that and redefines it. A number of spatial design
don’t impact negatively on others, ensuring elements identified in the literature can help
biological sustainability, considering changing us perceive how designs can be reconfigured.
services and provisions in favour of ones that are For example, responsiveness – refers to the
8 more environmentally friendly, and which reduce
consumption and are energy efficient and so forth.
ability to design for short term and immediate
changes to the space, whether it’s the agility
to change environmental conditions, providing
there are numerous design impact measures greater flexibility through moveable structures
and rating systems to help give estimates of or furniture, or designing greater adaptability
environmental impacts, which should guide in semi-permanent fixtures; diversity – is the
any design from start to completion and for provision of a variety of different types and
the lifecycle of its use. the dCsF has set sizes of areas suited to different pedagogies,
out targets for schools based on obligations learning styles and play; fluidity – is how the
in wider policy around reducing carbon environment on the whole flows and whether
emissions and reducing energy consumption. different spaces are organised and integrated
the sustainable development Action Plan120 in a blended way; and partialism125 – is the
overviews the policies and work planned potential to leave aspects of the design
in this area. the teachernet site121 not only incomplete and to allow the final shape to
gives information regarding the concepts evolve by its use126.

117. [Link]/publications/childrensplan
118. see for example: [Link]/sustainableschools
119. dfes schools for the Future: design of sustainable schools: Case studies. London
120. [Link]/aboutus/sd/[Link]
121. [Link]/sustainableschools
122. dfes (2006). Briefing Framework for Primary school Projects. Building Bulletin 99 (2nd edition). tso, London. Can be ordered
from: [Link]/education/[Link]?FO=1160398&ProductID=9780112711537&Action=Book
123. dfes (2006). Primary Ideas: Projects to enhance primary school environments. tso, London. Can be ordered from
[Link]/education/[Link]?FO=1160398&ProductID=9780112711834&Action=Book
124. dfes (2006). schools for the Future: designing school grounds. tso, London. Can be ordered from:
[Link]/education/[Link]?FO=1160398&ProductID=9780112711827&Action=Book
125. taylor, L, Bracken, K, Atkinson, d, Perrotta, C (forthcoming). exploring the Personalised Learning Landscape. Literature review
for the dCsF for the space for Personalisation Project. degW, Futurelab, edisonLearning, Penoyre & Prasad
126. For a more detailed account, see: taylor, L, Bracken, K, Atkinson, d, Perrotta, C (forthcoming). exploring the Personalised
Learning Landscape. Literature review for the dCsF for the space for Personalisation Project. degW, Futurelab, edisonLearning,
Penoyre & Prasad
50
 links to help identify more sustainable designs,
but the potential resources for inspiring
ideas are vast, ranging from the services and
approaches offered by commercial companies,
to utilising features that already exist in the
local community, through to ideas and beliefs
emanating from the experiences of children,
parents, staff and other stakeholders.

tai et al (2006)128 not only offer a range of advice

Design Share, Zhangde Primary
regarding design, installation and maintenance
of sustainable landscapes for children, they

SUSTAINABIlITy AND SUSTAINABle DevelOPmeNT

If a design is going to be sustainable in terms of also overview a set of case studies of varied
fostering a sense of ownership amongst future space designs that can inspire ideas, including
cohorts of children who will inhabit that space and a storybook courtyard, music garden, barnyard
who will interpret and interact with it in various setting, nature trails, wildlife habitats, memorial
ways, it needs to have a degree of adaptability gardens, and vegetable and fruit gardens.
designed into it. design For Adaptation (dFAd) is
a methodology for achieving sustainable designs these sorts of examples in different settings and
that has arisen on the assumption that many contexts can be a rich source of information and
products and services become obsolete because ideas that can inspire play and learning space
they fail to adapt to account for numerous design in schools and incorporate aspects of
changes that can occur in the wider environment sustainable design.
or society. taking this principle into the realms of
designing outdoor space with young children, it is In terms of designing sustainable resources,
therefore essential that spaces are dynamically it may be worth considering the concept of
designed so they can be controlled, reconfigured biomimicry. the concept is used to describe
and adapted, not only because of the need for new how we can learn from nature in terms of
cohorts to take ownership of the space and for redesigning industrial systems and modern
it to reflect the changing needs and preferences
of the children, but also so they can be adapted
designs. Benyus129 argues that biomimicry is a
new science that draws inspiration from nature’s
8
and respond to the myriad of physical, cultural, models and imitates or takes inspiration from
economic and environmental considerations them, with the emphasis not on what we can
that may arise in the future. It short, it is worth take from the natural world but what we can
considering designing spaces for activities and learn from it, and suggests ‘ten lessons’ from
functions beyond those experienced by the first nature that can inspire and be incorporated into
users of that space, what scott Brown calls sustainable design. these are:
‘wiggle room’ to allow for flexibility beyond the
_ nature runs on sunlight
original function127.
_ nature uses only the energy it needs
decisions about sustainability have to be taken
_ nature fits form to function
in conjunction with other decisions, such as:
how to develop the sensory aspects of the _ nature recycles everything
design; how to create the right aesthetics; the _ nature rewards cooperation
functional and practical aspects; the way water
is used, conserved and managed; the plants, _ nature banks on diversity
flowers, shrubs, trees and wildlife included; _ nature demands local expertise
the learning opportunities, focused play and
recreational facilities and opportunities; and so _ nature curbs excesses from within
on and so forth. this section offers a number _ nature taps the power of limits.
of policy leads, examples of approaches and

127. see: [Link]/features/[Link]?id=75248_0_23_24_M

128. tai, L, Haque, M, McLellan, g, Knight, e (2006). designing outdoor environments for Children: Landscaping schoolyards,
gardens, and playgrounds. Mcgraw-Hill
129. Benyus, JM (1998). Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by nature. Perennial (HarperCollins)
51
SUSTAINABIlITy AND SUSTAINABle DevelOPmeNT

8 Alan lei © Alsop

others, such as Mcdonough and Braungart developments, it provides an inspiring reminder

(2002)130, suggest going a stage further by that designs can be both more innovative and
calling for a new ‘ecological consciousness’ ecologically sound. this has relevance and
that will render traditional environmentalism implications for the design of outdoor spaces
and current eco-efficiency measures obsolete. and the opportunities that are afforded through
From their perspective, “recycling for example, planting, landscaping, nurturing plants and
is actually ‘downcycling’, creating hybrids growing vegetables, encouraging wildflife,
of biological and technical ‘nutrients’ which designing features to produce energy, and
are then unrecoverable and unusable”, and so on, but also for focusing on new ways
that instead we should move to a perspective of incorporating these in unique ways as a
that focuses not on how we can reduce the fundamental aspect of the play and learning
impacts of our lifestyle but on how we can experiences in schools.
design to contribute to environmental well-
being and regeneration. this approach raises
some interesting issues and innovative ideas
in relation to the design of outdoor spaces. In
their book they give a range of examples, such
as including living rooftops covered with soil
and plants, which provide natural insulation.
Whilst there may be criticism about the extent
to which such approaches can be applied to all

130. Mcdonough, W and Braungart, M (2002). Cradle to Cradle: remaking the way we make things. north Point Press; 1st edition
52
OTHEr USEfUl rESOUrCES foundation for environmental education
(fee) is a non-governmental, non-profit
Teachernet provides useful information for all organisation promoting sustainable
sectors and offers a number of excellent online development through environmental education.
and downloadable tools to help schools identify Fee is an international umbrella organisation
the best route to becoming more sustainable. with one national member organisation per
[Link]/sustainableschools country representing Fee on the national
level and in charge of implementing Fee
Securing the future – delivering UK programmes nationally. Fee has member
sustainable development strategy HMg (2005) organisations in 55 countries worldwide.
[Link]/ [Link]/en

SUSTAINABIlITy AND SUSTAINABle DevelOPmeNT

publications/uk-strategy/[Link]
eco-Schools is a programme for environmental
DfeS Sustainable Development Action Plan management, certification, and sustainable
(2006). Learning for the Future development education for schools. Its holistic,
[Link]/aboutus/sd/docs/SDAP%20 participatory approach and combination of
2006%[Link] learning and action make it an ideal way for
[Link]/aboutus/sd/[Link] schools to embark on a meaningful path for
improving the environments of schools and
framework Convention on Climate Change their local communities, and for influencing
Bali (2007) the lives of young people, school staff, families,
[Link]/[Link] local authorities, ngos, and more.
[Link]/en/Menu/
Climate Change and Children. unICeF (2007): Programmes/Eco-Schools
[Link]/publications/index_42166.html
Design Quality Indicators (DQI) for Schools
BReeAm Schools is a tool which provides a framework for the
[Link]/[Link]?id=20 assessment of school design.
[Link]/schools
Construction ecology: Nature as the Basis for
White Hutchinson leisure & learning group
8
green Building. Kibert, C, sendzimir, J and
guy, g (2002). London: spon Press Ltd. 123 website provides a wealth of links to
articles relating to children’s development
the global gateway website is an international and play, do’s and don’t’s of design and how to
gateway to educational partnerships between create sustainable outdoor play and learning
schools and colleges across the world. It is spaces. the site also offers some inspiring
managed and run for the dCsF by the British examples and designs, including naturalised
Council. Many of the potential partnerships outdoor environments, play gardens.
offer the opportunity to discuss and explore [Link]
sustainability in its various forms and bring an
international perspective to learning.
[Link]

53
 9. Summary
This handbook offers insight, ideas, advice through more coherent consideration of these
and examples aimed to inspire those involved policies to inform the initial vision phase,
in the redesign of outdoor learning and play so that such a vision can act as an enduring
spaces. It is by no means a ‘how to’ manual, artefact to orientate the various stakeholders
nor does it aim to suggest an ideal route or and interested parties that will move the vision
way to approach design, or specify particular through to actualisation.
attributes that such spaces should include. It
is illustrative, rather than specific, as decisions Furthermore, it highlights the need to put
will be made and mediated by a range of local, children at the centre of education and
environmental, financial and other elements. educational practices and encourages a move
However, it does promote the centrality towards more active engagement by children
of outdoor play and learning in promoting in the design and shaping of services which
children’s health, well-being and emotional affect them. Notably, this publication suggests
and social development. that redesign processes and capital investment
programmes offer great opportunity to do this
It also advocates the idea that design and by involving them meaningfully in co-design
redesign through various unique opportunities, processes, which expose them to diverse,
such as those afforded by current and real and interesting learning experiences and
significant capital investment programmes, environments and enable them to work with,
should be perceived as an opportunity to model learn with, and achieve tangible outcomes and
transformative practice and pedagogy. It draws success with a multitude of different experts
on and highlights numerous policies and and professionals that can support their wider
legislation that support a more transformative educational, social and emotional development.
approach and urges more radical design

54 Martha Schwartz Partners

A BIg PICTUrE Of THE CUrrICUlUM
engaging children and young people in co-design opportunities that can enhance and extend
and active participation is an extremely valuable broad curriculum aims and may be the sorts
and beneficial activity. yet the extent to which of practices we wish to model in our schools
this occurs around the redesign of learning and and learning spaces of the future. For example,
play spaces is debatable. ensuring meaningful consider the QCA’s ‘big picture curriculum’
engagement requires different approaches and diagram as a tool to support thinking about
can be time consuming and may sometimes how broad curriculum aims might be mapped
be viewed as additional activities further to against co-design practices involved in the
curriculum requirements. However, the activities redesign of outdoor learning spaces.
and processes associated with co-design [Link]/libraryAssets/media/
potentially offer great and unique learning Big_Picture_2008.pdf

The curriculum aims to enable all young people to

SUmmARy
become successful learners, confident individuals,
WHAT responsible citizens
ARE WE
mapped by
TRYING TO
ACHIEVE? curriculum aims, Every Child Matters outcomes
and focus for learning 9

The curriculum as an entire planned learning experience

underpinned by a broad set of common values and
HOW DO WE purposes
ORGANISE mapped by
THINGS? components, approaches to learning, whole curriculum
dimensions, statutory expectations

To make learning and teaching more effective so that

HOW WELL learners understand quality and how to improve

ARE WE mapped by
ACHIEVING evaluating impact and accountability measures
OUR AIMS?

55