Space to Learn
Two North-East based companies are working with Hartlepool Council in the development of a magnificent new children's learning environment, with opportunities afoot for other local businesses in refurbishing schools across the borough.
Hartlepool Council is one of many participating local authorities in Building Schools for the Future (BSF), a national programme to improve schools in England. It was in the fifth wave of projects to be announced under this initiative, and will benefit from a multi-million pound investment to refurbish or renew its secondary schools.
The Council understands that to achieve its ambitious plans for educational transformation, it needs to transform the way in which schools work and how learning is delivered. That is why, with the support of GWK Architects and construction consultants Turner & Townsend, they are creating an innovative £1m learning environment known as ‘Space to Learn', enabling all schools throughout the town to test out new ideas in teaching and learning ahead of the investment in their own schools.
Funded by the Council and the Roman Catholic and Church of England Dioceses, Space to Learn will provide an opportunity for Hartlepool's schools to challenge how teaching and learning might take place in the future, and how the built environment could be configured to best support this.
Local Authority staff, teachers and pupils have been involved in the design of the building from the very start. The exterior will have a unique, iconic identity and will be a showcase for modern teaching and learning. It will use building materials, energy conservation and construction techniques designed to cause minimal impact upon the environment.
The interior of the building will comprise a suite of learning spaces, which can be flexibly reconfigured using a system of lightweight and soundproof acoustic curtains. It will be equipped with hi-tec facilities to demonstrate how technology can support teachers in personalising the learning experience for young people.
The first BSF project, the remodelling of Dyke House School, is expected to get under way by August 2010, with work on another initiative to improve primary schools, the Primary Capital Programme, due to start shortly.
Adrienne Simcock, the Council's Director of Children's Services, said: "I think it is important to try out innovative and experimental ideas in education and ‘Space for Learn' will enable us to do this. This is a great opportunity to create a whole new learning environment for children that will stimulate imaginations and encourage them to achieve their full potential."
For further information on Space to Learn and Building Schools for the Future, contact Hartlepool Council's Schools Transformation Team on 01429 523754.
