Leading headteacher and member of the BCSE’s Great Schools Inquiry and Commission, Anthony Seldon launches his latest report today which shares 20 ways of ending Factory Schools in England (Centre for Policy Studies).

With an emphasis on a return to “the delight, gratitude and stimulus” in schools his work will resonate with a large number of schools across the country.There is a section on the school environment where he talks about the importance of making your classroom and school attractive and welcoming which will lead to pupils enjoying being in them, learning more and having more pride in their school. Common sense really – when you think about it.

Related posts:

1. Great Schools Commission – a shake up for the system
2. School capital investment – getting our house in order
3. The Swedish Schools model – will they work in the UK?

The BCSE’s Great Schools Inquiry and Commission interim report launch is just over a month away. So now is a good time to reflect on the landscape in which we are now working.

It is clear to me that there is a time when every government policy or spending priority needs a good shake up and the school capital programme is no exception. There are 3 factors at play here:

1. there is a public and political appetite for change and education may not win out over other priorities in a new government
2. in the world of public services there is a growing uncertainty about capital as a panacea to improving outcomes in local communities
3. in the midst of a recession, industry is looking to rationalise and thinking twice about the huge bidding and procurement costs associated with this market.

So what next for this agenda? What is clear is that we know much more about what makes great teaching and learning in the classroom and how to build a great office or home, but much less about what makes a great school and how to ensure school buildings raise attainment and improve pupil and staff well being.

We know there is a ‘patchwork quilt’ of research available about what works, but there is no common methodology, no uk based longitudinal reviews and we avoid much needed post occupancy data that the system needs to learn and improve.

We are also now part of a global movement for change and similar to other countries, we are at a crossroads in major buildings programmes . With limited resources and in the midst of the crunch we have to get better at understanding and prioritising what works. Given the estimated £100bn being invested in the UK and a serious consideration being made of a new procurement framework by Partnerships for Schools, we have a once in a generation chance to get it right.

We need a number of things in place to make sure the whole of the education, design and construction industry gets the most out of this investment. We need a compelling and ambitious vision for what makes great schools for the 21st Century – developed from a robust evidence base and the views of teachers, parents and the young people – who will inhabit these buildings and bring them to life for the next 50 years.

We need industry wide engagement to ensure we circle the wagons around the investment to ensure it doesn’t lose out to political short termism and alternative priorities. And we need to make the economic case for education investment that requires more sophisticated set of metrics and a way of telling the story of the great successes the industry has brought for a range of communities

The present Government deserves praise for massive investment in our education infrastructure. We had become experts at ‘patch’ and ‘mend’. Our teachers and professionals who work with schools shouldn’t have to just make do. Yet, whilst celebrating this investment there are 3 signposts for the future:

1. There should be a greater level of connection in the policy environment between parents and schools; between the centre of government and the practice of schools. There’s also greater value to be gained in the costs and timescales for delivering major policies that could be scaled back and achieve more for less – as David Cameron says its not just pay, pensions it’s a third p – procurement.
2. We need to think deeply enough about how school capital investment and other policies are acting as a real catalyst for school improvement or improving outcomes for young people?  Is the capital investment really acting as a tool for social justice – encouraging self- esteem, civic engagement, respect and well-being. There’s also not enough sharing of what works between schools, down the road, let alone from here to Sweden.
3. And finally – we know that school buildings make a massive contribution to the local economy as much as they do to standards. We know that there is a major industry at stake if investment falters

In a debate like this – we need to make difficult decisions based on what is really working in the most disadvantaged communities. We need to place a much greater emphasis on the environment in which teachers, young people and parents connect together. In times of great difficulty we start to innovate – lets use this as a catalyst to think differently and create great schools for every community

This is an edited version of an article from the newly launched Partnerships Bulletin – as context to the Great Schools Commission. Baroness Estelle Morris, chair of the Commission, will be talking at BSEC this thursday and the interim report of the Commission will be launched in late March 2010.

Related posts:

1. School capital investment – getting our house in order
2. The truth about parent promoted schools
3. Behaviour theory and education – the nudge factor