This article considers a school community initiating change in pedagogical practices to complement new-build premises in the context of demands for school improvement, but constraints on autonomy. We investigate how school leaders planned the change towards enquiry-based learning in flexible spaces, and how teaching staff prepared for the coming…

The Labour Government launched the "Building Schools for the Future" programme (BSF) in February 2003 with the aim of refurbishing or rebuilding all secondary schools in England over a 15-year period, with an anticipated budget of 45 billion British Pounds. In this article, we locate BSF in a wider public policy context which has already…

This paper examines the disclosure and reporting of expenditure under the UK government's "Building Schools for the Future" programme. The study finds that there is little detailed and useful financial reporting, and the public's right to know under Freedom of Information Act 2000 is very limited. The lack of such information makes it…

CELE's International Pilot Project on Evaluating Quality in Educational Spaces aims to assist education authorities, schools and others to maximise the use of and investment in learning environments. This article provides an update on the pilot project, which is currently being implemented in Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal and the United…

Public education is one of the central tasks of a democratic society, and the buildings that house this important task not only shape the way one teaches, but provide icons and symbols for the values people hold common as a society. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this context has placed school buildings squarely in a position of debate and innovation…

This document summarizes research to demonstrate the difference that Building Schools for the Future (BSF) schools are making to young people's attitudes towards education and learning, as measured by their levels of engagement and enthusiasm for school. The key research objective was further broken down into a number of research questions: (1)…

State-of-the-art school buildings can improve educational standards and have a positive effect on everyone who uses them. That is why England's Department for Education and Skills (DfES) launched an ambitious five year strategy to improve educational facilities for all children in the country and create high quality resources for the whole…

Describes a current project in the United Kingdom designed to improve school buildings. The use of Asset Management Plans (AMPs) in providing the means through which likely future needs are assessed, criteria for prioritization are set, and informed decisions on local spending are made are examined. (GR)

Addresses the effects of school inspection on teachers and schools in Northern Ireland. Presents findings from a study of the perceptions and experiences of some 70 Northern Ireland primary and secondary level schools. Reveals that although inspections are considered professional and supportive, clear reservations about them persist. (CMK)

This report presents empirical evidence about the impact that capital investment has on academic achievement in the United Kingdom public school system. It also provides an overview of the research methodology and the main findings from the existing literature and qualitative studies compared to those found in quantitative studies. Analyses…

Kings College replaced a previous school on the same site and was the first privately managed state school in the UK, operating through a ten-year partnership between a not-for-profit company, 3Es Enterprises and Surrey County Council. This article examines the experience of this privatisation through the perspectives of students who had attended…

This article first investigates historical trends in both the practice and the understanding of consultation, considering the often contrasting perspectives of architects and designers, compared to teachers and educationalists. Differing assumptions held by these two broad groups of professionals can lead to conflicting aims and objectives for…

The Eco School information pack contains 10 sections outlining specific school areas that can be assessed by students for meeting the needs of all its users, the extent to which these areas use and abuse environmental resources, and the aesthetic contribution they make to the locality. Using this initial research, the document helps students…

There is growing number of proposals to develop a federal school construction program that shares the financial burden with local governments for renovating their obsolete school facilities or building new ones. This report examines recent public school construction projects; the efforts to make school construction a federal responsibility;…

Decentralization has had a significant impact on education systems, in particular, on school construction and management. This report is the outcome of an international conference on trends in the planning and funding of educational building. The conference's purpose was to enable participants, through the exchange of information, to analyze the…