VIEWS & OPINION Wellbeing at the heart of future schools Comment by CARYS FISHER, Studio Director at Arcadis
When delivering the schools of the future, we must consider their role in addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow. It is crucial to consider how schools can drive wider long- term positive impact to not only benefit the lives and experiences of pupils and other building users, but also beyond the building itself. Schools should also play an important role in benefiting the wellbeing and health of their wider communities. Sustainability driven and
innovative design approaches, embracing technology, collaboration and creative thinking will play a significant role in delivering our future schools. This includes integrating schools more effectively into their surrounding communities and looking at the core design elements that improve physical, mental and environmental wellbeing at three levels: Meso (placemaking), Macro (school), and Micro (material).
Engaging the community
So, how important is wellbeing in schools? A survey by Oxford Impact, a department of the University of Oxford, found that 87% of respondents see wellbeing as a priority to a great or moderate extent in their schools. Furthermore, research by Public Health England found that education and health are closely linked and promoting the health and wellbeing of pupils within schools has the potential to improve educational as well as health and wellbeing outcomes. Another Oxford Impact study found convincing evidence of
a relationship between wellbeing and academic achievement. There is also strong evidence that ‘whole-school approaches’ to promoting wellbeing can influence academic attainment and positive effects on a wide range of other educational outcomes, including mental health, self-esteem, motivation, behaviour, and decreased probability of dropouts.
Strategies linked with positive outcomes include actively engaging the wider community. A community wide approach could include engaging with third party groups to support community initiatives or areas of need, such as teaming up with local industry partners to support STEM education. We should think more about extending the learning environment beyond the school walls or site boundary.
Narrow academic standards
This highlights the considerable impact and value of wellbeing schools compared with traditional approaches. Importantly, this can herald a transformational and much-needed change in how we approach schools going forward in the UK to make them truly forward-looking and effective. For instance, UCL’s ‘Educating the City: Schools as Social Infrastructure’ argues that English schools have become too focused on a narrow academic standards agenda and no longer build in the spatial flexibility to enable a more expanded definition of learning, such as including community integration. How can this feed into action at government level, with priority placed on wellbeing – an area where attention is increasingly turning? Wales is an exemplar of this approach, with its groundbreaking Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (2015) and the new ‘Curriculum for Wales’ which moves away from the standard academic agenda and focuses on four main purposes: • ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives. • enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life
November 2023 and work.
• ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world. • healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.
The school’s curriculum is everything a learner experiences in pursuit of the four purposes. It is more than what is simply taught, it focuses on the how and why? The school environment plays a vital role in supporting this pursuit. In 2010, the UK government launched the National Wellbeing Programme. Later, both the Care Act and the Health and Social Care Act were formed, which led to the statutory introduction of Health and Wellbeing Boards across England to improve the health and wellbeing of local populations.
A lesson in wellbeing
Here are some ways in which we can incorporate strong wellbeing focused practices into our school designs… • A focus on meeting different and diverse learning needs – balancing functionality and security with a warm, welcoming and therapeutic environment as well as exemplar sustainability credentials that also support health and wellbeing.
• Designs that adhere to the objectives in the various government Acts stated above, putting wellbeing and community at the heart. Consider the New Economic Foundation’s ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ and its criteria - movement, mind, links to community, active and passive building design and connection to nature.
• Integrating opportunities for outdoor and active/interactive learning.
• Create a healthy environment and learning spaces that support the new curriculum, such as wellbeing pods and growing areas.
• Harnessing energy-efficient technology, such as ground source heat pump systems and solar panels, as well as working with local supply chains and materials. In addition to achieving Net Zero Carbon in operation, prioritising low embodied carbon, reuse and recycling as much as possible.
• Digitally enabled and flexible spaces; sensory design elements and finding ways to cultivate a feeling of greater connection and support, including with social life skills.
• Biophilic design, rainwater harvesting, and actively encouraging sustainable travel, as well as a landscaping strategy that responds to the school’s context and local biodiversity policies.
• Above all, collaboration with users (pupils, their families and the wider community) – asking them what they want from the design.
Caterham school
One project Arcadis is working on in this space is Caterham School. We carried out engagement sessions with over 120 students and teachers so their views could feed into the design. After the engagement sessions, our team analysed the feedback and started to implement the ideas into the design. The engagement of the students will continue as the project does, with a group of students helping to design one of the spaces within the building. We’re also working with local innovators and material specialists to discuss the sustainable credentials of the building.
Well-designed school buildings can directly contribute to enhancing the learning experience, health and wellbeing of occupants as well as support thriving communities. They can also play a vital role in addressing the climate crisis and encouraging more sustainable practices. But achieving this means taking a fresh and multi-faceted approach to new school developments. Encompassing wellbeing, placemaking, social responsibility, digital advancements and more will result in education environments that stand the test of time and lead to positive change in multiple ways.
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