Leading partitioning manufacturer, Komfort, believes a new study into the benefits of effective school design should be taken seriously by Government, especially in light of recent changes to school building regulations and the close of The British Council for School Design.
The study, carried out over the course of a year by the University of Salford and UK Architects, Nightingale Associates, revealed that considerately designed classrooms can raise academic performance levels by as much as 25%. In addition to surveying pupils about their performance in core subjects such as Maths and English, the study also monitored factors including light, temperature, air quality and even the impact of classroom orientation.
Brian Pike, Technical Consultant at Komfort, said: “The reason this study is so significant is that it has encompassed so many different aspects of school life and directly linked them with performance of schoolchildren. From the evidence presented in the report, well-designed buildings such as Evelyn Grace Academy and Thomas Deacon Academy, in which Komfort partitions are installed, deliver only positive impacts to both students and staff.
“As a partitioning manufacturer we understand the importance of natural light in an environment where people, of any age, require concentration to work. Such a holistic approach to assess school design has to be welcomed by all those involved and the results pushed into the spotlight.
“This report flies in the face of recent restrictions imposed by Government on certain design elements of new school buildings and should be given due consideration in relation to the planned construction of over 200 new schools.”
