Design Matters? The Effects of New Schools on Students’, Teachers’ and Parents’ Actions and Perceptions

The project will investigate the effects of newly designed schools on their users, particularly students and teachers.

This addresses an important policy issue but also has implications for architectural practice, educational theory and methodology. With a sample of five schools built under the BSF and Academies Programme, we will follow children from their feeder primary schools (some of which are also new-build) into the newly designed secondaries, alongside children from those primary schools who move to older secondary schools as a control. This research will aim to fill the gaps in knowledge about the links between the immediate environment and the process of education and learning. It will take the debate further than ever before and allow for a more complete discussion about the place of design in public spaces.

External project members include, Professor Andrew Stables (University of Roehampton).

Funder: AHRC
Start date: September 2012
End date: June 2016

Website: http://designmatters.education.ox.ac.uk