RIBA SENJIT 2004

1
RIBA / SENJIT 2004

• Update of Building Bulletin 77
• Designing for Special Educational Needs,
• Special Schools

2
Schools Buildings and Design Unit Current
Building Bulletins Guidance

• Building Bulletin 85 School Grounds Appendix
  E F tables 2 21
• Building Bulletin 87 Guidelines for
  Environmental Design in Schools
• Building Bulletin 90 Lighting design for Schools
• Building Bulletin 91 Access for Disabled People
  to School Buildings 1999
• mostly superseded by Part M of Building
  Regulations
• Building Bulletin 93 Acoustic Design of Schools
  2004
• Building Bulletin 94 Inclusive School
  Environments 2001
• Building Bulletin 95 Schools for the Future 2002
• Building Bulletin 77 Designing for Special
  Educational Needs, Special Schools 1992 and
  updated 1997
• Building Bulletin 98 secondary schools BB99
  primary schools 2004 Previously Building Bulletin
  82 Revised Area Guidelines for Schools

3
Building Bulletin 77 Designing for Special
Educational Needs, Special Schools (1992 revised
1997)

• Update needed due to changes
• Law - DDA SENDA 2001 Planning Duties
• LEA Accessibility Strategies School
  Accessibility Plans
• Building Regulations 2000 Part E 2003 Part M
  May 2004
• Special Educational Needs - Changing needs and
  practices meeting local needs making local
  consultations
• Policy Approval for special school
  re-organisations devolved to School Organisation
  Committees - Entitlement - Inclusion -
  Co-location - Multi- agency working - Extended
  schools - Community use
• Building Schools for the Future Whole area
  re-organisation and building to bring all schools
  to an improved 21st century standard

4
Legislation

• Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended by
  the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act
  2001
• Part 2 Employment
• Part 3 Provision of Goods Services 1999
• Part 4 Education
• Accessible schools Guidance Note 2002
• Planning to increase access to schools for
  disabled pupils
• Planning duties to increase access to curriculum,
  information and physical environment April 2003
  - 2006
• LEAs planning duty to form an Accessibility
  Strategy. School Governors duty to publish
  School Accessibility Plans.
• Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2001
• SEN Framework

5
Building Legislation

• The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999
• DfES Constructional Standards override Building
  Regulations Approved Documents F K and M
  shallower ramps and steps
• Building Regulations apply to School Buildings
  since 2001
• Part E Sound Insulation July 2003 BB93 Acoustic
  Design for Schools
• Part M May 2004 -
• - Incorporates DfES Constructional Standards
  and BS5588 refuges
• Affects material alterations and change of use
• Affects refurbishment and new build
• Access for all - Access Statement Passenger
  lifts
• Approach to building Car parking - Visual
  contrast Signage
• Minimum effective clear width of doors 800
  internal - 1000 external
• Door pressures 20 N limit Larger disabled
  toilets
• Lecture conference facilities - Audience seating
  
• BS 8300 Design of Buildings and their approaches
  to meet the needs of disabled people

6
Policy Documents

• Excellence for all children meeting special
  educational needs 1997
• Meeting Special Educational Needs A programme of
  action 1998
• Schools Plus Building Learning Communities 2000
• Schools Achieving Success 2001
• Schools Building on Success 2001
• Extended Schools 2002
• Childcare in Extended Schools 2002
• 14-19 Opportunity and Excellence
• Special Schools Working Group Report 2003
• Removing Barriers to Achievement
• The Governments Strategy for SEN 2004
• Every Child Matters 2003
• Every Child Matters Next Steps 2004

7
New Data Collection by Type of Special
Educational Needs PLASC 2004 Groupings not exact
(main type of SEN identified only) so where
disorders cross-over, need to look at all areas,
with a child centred holistic view, multi-agency
working and focussing on quality of life.

• Cognition and Learning Needs
• Specific Learning difficulty (SpLD)
• Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD)
• Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD)
• Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD)
• Behaviour Emotional and Social Development Needs
• Behaviour Emotional and Social Difficulty (BESD)
• Communication and Interaction Needs
• Speech Language and Communication Needs (SCLN)
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• Sensory and/or Physical Needs
• Visual Impairment (VI)
• Hearing Impairment (HI)
• Physical Disability (PD)
• Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI)
• Other (OTH)

8
Current Situation

• Statistics
• 15-20 pupils have some form of SEN
• Over 50 pupils attend mainstream schools
• 1-5 pupils have a statement for SEN (varies
  locally)
• 1 pupils attend special schools
• Changing Needs
• Increased medical advances, survival rate and
  life expectancy
• Increased severity of disability and SEN
• Increased number of children on the range of ASD
• Increased number of children presenting with BESD
• Earlier intervention and improved treatment

9
Guiding Principles

• Person Centred - equality integrity respect
  freedom of choice
• Holistic View - consider the whole person, whole
  population, whole school and whole community
• Access to Curriculum - participate in life at
  school
• Multi - Agency Working - maximise pupils
  curriculum time
• Quality of Life enhance enjoyment of life at
  school
• Meeting Local Needs varied approaches and
  solutions
• Flexibility and Adaptability for the Future
  avoid barriers -
• loose fit environment to respond to
  changing needs

10
We shape buildings and then buildings shape us

• The language we use reflects how we identify
  concepts and thoughts but can inhibit our
  understanding.
• disable enable impaired prepared difficulty
  make easy, facilitate special specialist nee
  d contribution, giving incapacity ability,
  capacity exclude include unstable support c
  hallenging inspiring, worthwhile

11
Access to Curriculum and Design of Buildings

• Need a feel good environment
• Does the building help deliver the curriculum or
  does it get in the way?
• How does it affect the quality of what goes on in
  the classroom?
• How easily can pupils get around the school?
• Therapy and clinics to maximise curriculum time
• Design learning environments which suit a variety
  of needs
• Everywhere is a learning experience
• Design a barrier free learning environment
• Design a sensory landscape which feels good to
  experience and is creative and effective for
  teaching and learning

12
Inclusion

• Primary
• Less of a learning disability gap- in relation
  to age perception understanding
• Classbase teaching - nurturing environment
• Easier to integrate and include - for curriculum
  and social activities
• SEN accommodation - concentrated and
  strategically sited or
• dispersed facilities around the whole school
• Secondary
• Greater learning disability gap - in relation
  to age and academic attainment
• Specialist subject teaching - access to
  mainstream curriculum modified
• Accessibility - difficulty getting around the
  school- travel time
• Social integration - access to school activities
  clubs and visits

13
Inclusion Issues 1

• Inclusion locational - social - functional
• Inclusion in the context of the whole local
  community of schools
• - people working together can make inclusion
  happen successfully
• Inclusion in the mainstream schools
• increase accessibility for disabled pupils
• better provision in all schools generally (BB98
  and BB99)
• provide specialist facilities for SEN
• improve resourced provision for SEN
• Separate Pupil Referral Units
• pupils who have been excluded from mainstream
  schools but many of whom have special educational
  needs.
• Improve differentiated learning and behaviour
  support resourced provision
• New initiatives -education centres specialist
  support centres
• Separate Special Schools for pupils who have BESD
  
• - pupils are referred due to behaviour emotional
  and social difficulties but some may also have
  learning difficulties.

14
Inclusion issues 2

• Special Schools as inclusive schools
• broad range of pupils with special educational
  needs
• including children with diverse and conflicting
  needs
• including pupils who have behaviour that
  challenges
• allow for different teaching methods and learning
  styles
• ensure entitlement to curriculum and
  participation school life
• Allow for different arrangements for school
  management
• Special Schools included as part of the whole
  community of local schools
• centres of excellence
• outreach to local schools
• extended schools
• community use
• multi-agency working

15
Special Schools

• Co-located - Phased Education
• Primary special school co-located with primary
  special schools
• Secondary special school co-located with
  secondary special school
• Stand - alone special schools
• Inclusive links with other local schools
• All - age special schools must have age
  progression
• - All special schools to have age appropriate
  environments and extended school use
• Residential schools
• National Care Standards
• Non - maintained schools
• - May still follow National Curriculum due to
  pupil needs on statement
• Independent Special Schools
• - May still follow National Curriculum due to
  pupil needs on statement
• - Need to comply with the Education (Independent)
  School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003

16
Co-location 1

• Positive attitude
• - working together - compatibility
• - can do attitude to overcome problems
• - synergy - symbiotic relationship opportunity
  for innovation
• Considerations
• the balance of populations of two school - the
  size of each schools
• their respective curriculum needs specialist
  status
• site requirements
• Access and Egress
• - accessibility of approach arrival at entrance
  and safe drop-off
• - safety and security issues for both pupil
  groups
• covered route for arrival of pupils with
  disabilities
• no conflict of vehicle and pupil routes large
  numbers of vehicles
• Location and Situation
• shared site but separate buildings - same site
  but separate schools
• same building but separate parts of the building

17
Co-location 2

• Social Inclusion
• inclusive dining
• joint assemblies and / or registration or tutor
  groups
• shared or joint use of halls
• joint use of outdoor recreation and social spaces
• joint activities, school trips and holidays
• joint use of library, learning resources and ICT
• Shared facilities
• ensure curriculum needs met for all pupil groups
• access to sports hall, drama or music studio,
• support and links with SEN resources in
  mainstream
• Inclusion of mainstream pupils in special school
• co-located or shared specialist practical subject
  spaces with accessible workstations
• provision of accessible, circulation routes and
  travel distances
• ensure sufficient support facilities for pupils
  with SEN and disabilities in mainstream school
• refurbishment of schools to a high quality
  standard for physical access lighting acoustics
  visual contrast signage appropriate use of
  colours etc

18
Update of BB77

• Phase 1
• - Steering group set up February 2003
• 18 school visits made 6 LEA strategy meetings
• Phase 1 report on website October 2003
• Phase 2
• - visited a further 8 schools Autumn 2003 for
  co-location issues and specialist subject
  provision
• Further investigations draft guidance schedules
  diagrams and edit
• proposed 3 month consultation on website Sept /
  Oct 2004
• Respond to consultation
• Phase 3
• Graphics photographs publication process
• Aim to issue by end of March 2005

19
Summary findings from Phase 1 Visits

• LEA Strategies - varied greatly different
  approaches.
• Accessibility - variable provision por visual
  contrast and acoustics
• Co-location and inclusion different initiatives
  pioneered
• More area needed for - learning and behaviour
  needs, circulation social and dining spaces, more
  adults in classbases, more storage needed,
  specialist subjects provision, medical and
  therapy needs, school workforce needs, parents
  rooms, outreach and training.
• Need for small group rooms - 1-1 learning,
  respite or calming.
• Wider Corridors 2.2 m minimum for main routes
• Storage mobility equipment teaching and
  learning resources
• More ICT provision - in class and ICT base
  communication aids
• Therapy and Sensory areas - more high tech
• Specialist Subject areas poor quality provision
• Furniture minimal fixed height adjustable
  specialist advice
• Loose fit environment - to respond to changing
  needs
• Sustainability few developments. Poor
  mechanical services.
• Design quality variable needs to improve
  significantly
• Gross area per pupil and teaching area per pupil
  to increase

20
Design Issues 1

• Design Quality
• need to improve quality of design - to provide
  attractive ambience
• reflect a positive image - use robust materials
  loose fit design
• Accessibility
• safe approach covered access route
• number of vehicles for pupil drop off
• increased numbers of staff and car parking
• Zoning for safety and security
• extended schools - community use
• different age and pupil groups - different pupil
  needs
• relationship to co-located mainstream school
• Layout
• simple clear layout - readily understood -
  landmarks
• fire and security strategy minimise use of
  doors
• balance need for freedom, supervision safety and
  security
• good visual contrast and appropriate use of
  colour signage and wayfinding
• Circulation
• wide corridors wide doors (use of
  electromagnetic catches)
• storage for mobility equipment minimise travel
  time -

21
Design Issues 2

• general teaching spaces more space, greater
  storage and equipment needs, more adults in class
  small group rooms
• specialist subject teaching - better quality and
  variety of spaces, adjustable height furniture -
  space for different pupil groupings and learning
  needs
• learning resources - ICT across the curriculum -
  access technology - communication aids
• therapy as access to education -sensory therapy
  more high tech - hydrotherapy community use -
  multi-agency working
• pupil needs - increased hygiene, medical needs,
  infection control - social and behaviour needs
• support staff - manual handling and hoisting
  requirement
• more school staff - larger staff rooms
  preparation and outreach
• storage increased storage needs across the
  spectrum
• outdoor spaces variety of spaces for curriculum
  recreation social and for more diverse pupil
  needs

22
Design Issues 3

• good quality internal environment - provide for a
  variety of different pupil needs, situations and
  behaviour patterns. Pupils cannot vocalise
  discomfort or recognise danger and may have
  medical problems or low immune system.
• lighting -maximise natural lighting, use solar
  shading blinds, use low glare artificial lighting
  and light sensors.
• acoustics - appropriate acoustics and sound
  insulation
• ventilation - maximise natural ventilation -
  avoid draughts and fan noise, mechanical
  ventilation for hygiene areas, air handling for
  hydrotherapy.
• thermal comfort - LST radiators or underfloor
  heating, limited mechanical ventilation and
  cooling, avoid fan convectors and air
  conditioning.
• infection control - good hygienic practices are
  essential
• communications systems - telephones CCTV panic
  fire alarms
• security and fire - to suit varied users -
  visual alarms
• ICT and wireless varied practical high- tech
  teaching and learning
• sustainability whole life costs, low
  maintenance, robust materials

23
BB77 Draft Guidance in Progress

• Increased Areas - to meet legal requirements,
  curriculum entitlement government policies -
  greatest uplift for schools for pupils with BESD
• Typical Schedules of Accommodation -for primary
  and secondary schools -broad range special
  schools and schools for pupils who have BESD
  based on discussions with HMI Ofsted so that
  access and entitlement to curriculum informs the
  accommodation brief.
• - Maximise use of hall for curriculum separate
  dining (with kitchen) for social learning - use
  sliding folding doors so facility for extended
  schools
• - Classbases for pupils with SLD/PMLD/ASD 65 sqm
  2 classbases per year storage 6 sq m
• - Small group rooms 1 per 2 classbases - flexible
  use for teaching, learning, therapy or respite.
  (Therapy takes place throughout the school not
  just in PMLD/ASD base or therapy rooms)
• - Classbases for pupils with BESD 55 sq m -
  additional storage for work in progress and for
  resources for non distraction environment -
  social skills bases 1 per keystage 20 sq m
• - Specialist subject classbases primary 25-30 sq
  m for food tech and practical work large group
  room for drama/music 80 sq m
• secondary 65 sq m for food tech, science, art,
  design tech, music.

24
BB77 further study

• Typical models
• - inclusion in mainstream schools, for specialist
  facilities or resourced provision, space planning
  for inclusive teaching
• - investigate co-location issues for
  consideration, pupil numbers occupancy rates,
  curriculum analysis, travel times
• - produce typical layouts, site layout , room
  relationships, suites of accommodation
• Post 16 - vocational skills - 14-19 curriculum
  - Schools for BESD ?
• Toilet and hygiene accommodation in relation to
  infection control - learning independence skills
  - staffing arrangements
• Specialist facilities in special schools
  possible Hydrotherapy study (effective usage,
  technical study and costings)
• Other issues
• Multi-agency working sensory therapy and
  medical accommodation
• Outreach and training - school workforce issues
• ICT and communication aids
• Internal environment
• Materials and finishes
• Wheelchair sizes and accessibility needs for
  children