SIMPLE SOLUTIONS FOR SAFER SCHOOLS

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alma-nac collaborative architecture Reopening schools during the pandemic is a This document has been produced by huge challenge. To create a safe and positive learning environment teachers and other school staff are having to be agile, creative and highly resourceful. In collaboration with

Working in collaboration with a group of schools from London we have produced this guide to share some of the ideas that are helping them to overcome this unique situation. Bessemer Grange Dulwich College Dulwich Prep London John Donne Primary Primary School School

Goose Green Primary Kingsdale Foundation King Alfred School Hollydale Primary and Nursery School School

August 2020 Initial Publication March 2021 Revised Publication

1 2 ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Simple Solutions for Safer Schools is a collection of ideas for creating COVID 19 safe schools in an inclusive and engaging way. It is based upon government guidelines and conversations with teachers, building upon the great work that they are already doing. The guide concludes by looking ahead and reflecting on the positive discoveries that could shape schools of the future.

Aims Contents At present the government plan is that, ‘from 8th March (2021), all pupils should attend school. Secondary pupils will be offered testing from 8th March (2021)’. 5-6 Partnering Schools This guide harnesses the collective experience of a network of schools to gather and share ideas that can assist all schools in adapting their environment. It is focused on simple, low cost, and easy to implement solutions that empower both teachers 7-8 Core Principles and students. We understand that each school will have very different physical environments, resources, facilities, and finances available to them and so we have 9-24 Simple Solutions included a range of different manageable interventions. 27-28 Forward thinking: Evolving Schools This document is largely aimed at primary schools, although some ideas will be relevant to secondary schools as well. To see the full guidance and requirements, please read the most current government guidance information (current at the time of printing): https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-for-schools-coronavirus-covid-19

Methodology This document has been prepared by alma-nac, an architecture studio specialising in education design, working in partnership with 8 schools, primarily in Southwark. In preparation for this document alma-nac carefully reviewed the government guidance. This initial reading formed the basis of a series of questions that were then put to Feedback members of staff from each of the participating schools. This evolved into a series of conversations with the schools to better understand the strategies that they already We would love to hear from you. Please let us know if this document has been helpful and had in place, and the difficulties that they are facing in re-opening their education share any suggestions that you may have. spaces. This document has been further amended in keeping it current with the latest government advice at the time of issue.

[email protected] Origins www.instagram.com/almanac_arch This research builds upon an ongoing relationship with many of the collaborating schools. Over the last 18 months alma-nac has been working with a group of schools from Lambeth and Southwark to recycle the material from the Dulwich Picture Gallery’s https://twitter.com/almanac_arch Colour Palace Pavilion and create a series of modular planters. The ‘Dulwich Picture Gallery Planters’ project (http://www.alma-nac.com/#/pavilion-planters-2) helped to initiate cross-school and community collaboration establishing a strong local network, while the self-build initiative behind the project enabled the schools and their students to re-imagine their own environment and enact positive change themselves.

3 4 Partnering schools Burgess Park

NAME NO. OF AGE RANGE BUILDING TYPE BOROUGH STUDENTS 1 Bessemer Grange Primary 663 3 to 11 2 storey modern school Southwark School building. 6.

2 Dulwich College 1834 0 to 19 Large Victorian school Southwark complex set in extensive grounds. 5.

3 Dulwich Prep London 843 2 to 14 3-4 storey Victorian Southwark school with grounds. Nunhead Cemetry

4 Goose Green Primary and 373 3 to 11 3-4 storey Victorian Southwark 4. Nursery school building. Peckham 1. Rye

5 Hollydale Primary School 182 4 to 11 2 storey Victorian school Southwark building.

Brockwell 6 John Donne Primary 470 3 to11 3 storey Victorian school Southwark Park School building.

Dulwich 7 Kingsdale Foundation 2211 11 to 18 3 storey modern school Southwark Park School building.

8 King Alfred School 660 5 to 18 Multiple building types, Barnet set in extensive grounds. (Location not shown 2. on map)

3.

7.

Crystal Palace

N 5 6 STUDENTS SOME KEY PRINCIPLES

GOVERNMENT Positive opportunities PARENTS SCHOOL GUIDANCE Many of the schools that we have spoken to have had positive experiences of some of the recent changes; COMMUNICATION • Increased support and camaraderie Communication plays a central role in informing parents amongst the members of staff and the wider and students of the measures that schools will be community. • implementing and also provides a sense of continuity Ability to explore alternative teaching during times of disruption or uncertainty. methods including integrating outside & non-classroom based learning. • Positive impact of remote learning for some quieter students. • Greater emphasis on sustainability with WELLBEING the integration of more related teaching STUDENTS methods such as growing fruit & vegetables. • New challenges lay ahead as returning students deal School closures have strengthened the with anxieties of returning to school post-lockdown. collective appreciation of a School’s role in the community. This is a valuable time Throughout this document we have tried to focus to rethink a school’s relationship with its on interventions that will engage students, while physical and human environment. keeping things feeling as ‘normal’ as possible and SCHOOL GOVERNMENT focusing on their wellbeing. PARENTS GUIDANCE Establishing a sense of personal safety is COGNITIVE central to our wellbeing. This sense of safety must now extend to include Parents: Regular communication with parents informing sensitivity towards mental health them of the steps that the school is taking to improve following the students prolonged student safety will help to reassure them. 1 absence from school. SAFETY CONTEXT Students: Openness and clear communication with PHYSICAL EMOTIONAL students to make them aware of the changes, their COVID 19 has completely disrupted our normal daily lives. importance, and the reasoning behind them will help to While it is easy to feel overwhelmed it is important where engage them positively with the new school environment. possible to try and reflect on some of the positives that have arisen during this period. Physical: Create an environment that enables staff and students to work, learn, stay active, healthy and safe, COVID 19 and climate change have strengthened the while minimising exposure to the COVID 19. notion of individuals as global citizens and that our actions have repercussions across the globe. This should Cognitive:2 Allow staff and students to focus on learning, be seen as a positive to be harnessed. and to not get distracted by anxieties about personal safety.

Communication Tips Emotional: Assure both staff and students that they are part of a supportive community, where their personal welfare is taken seriously. Many schools have found inventive ways of staying in touchCOGNITIVE online over the past year. Now they face preparing students for returning to school full time & dealing with any associated anxieties this may cause. Basic principles to encourage wellbeing; • Communication is essential to wellbeing. Every interaction can be an intervention. • SAFETY • Find alternative ways to stay connected & to • Actively reach out to parents. communicate • Suggest students create videos about • Maintain a routine – feeling of normality 3 PHYSICALthe benefits of being backEMOTIONAL in school, • Manage the amount of information & news so that and sharing their experiences and / or it’s informative but not overwhelming challenges of lockdown. • Stay active, getting outside to access sunlight and Teachers can make videos introducing • fresh air themselves to their new class. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools- https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coronavirus- and-your-wellbeing/ 7 8 SIMPLE Design guidance and suggestions for small SOLUTIONS everyday changes Drop off & pick up

As parents are no longer allowed within All of the schools that we have spoken to are staggering the school premises, the drop off and pick their morning drop off and afternoon pick up times to up routine becomes their primary form of reduce the number of students and parents arriving at contact with their children’s school. This may one time as suggested in the government advice. cause anxiety for some parents who feel disconnected from the school community. To help limit congestion and encourage social distancing Animating the school gate, and finding ways schools can: of communicating the activities within the • Utilise all available entrances to the school site. school may help to reduce this. • Where possible, using direct external access to ground floor classrooms can reduce the need for internal circulation. Consider distributing poster communication Teachers at the school gate to greet to prevent crowding / students and parents. hotspots.

Give each gate an identity that relates to the allocated group or bubbles that use it.

QR code to link to the school website for Good regular updates. Morning!

‘Do you have a space to share?’ Place a notice board at the entrance with daily updates to keep Consider setting a parents informed space for community of their children’s involvement posters activities. and notices.

‘We want to hear from you, please join Encourage parents to our forum’ stick to the allocated Treat the school gate Clear communication times and not to like the reception of the new drop hang around the desk. The primary off and pick up school gates to help point of contact for timetables. avoid congestion. parents. 11 12 Bubbles & distancing Moving from A to B

Groups and bubbles Movement and signage As per the government guidance, separating pupils into consistent groups or ‘bubbles’ reduces the risk of Limiting movement throughout the school building is transmission and can be a helpful tool in encouraging beneficial in maintaining social distancing. social distancing. • Ask teachers, not students to move rooms in Keeping students in self-contained groups reduces the between classes not students. risk of transmission by limiting the number of students • Introduce one-way systems. and staff in contact with each other. • Allocate different routes to different groups or Wayfinding and bubbles. signage tips • The groups or ‘bubbles’ are usually formed within year • Where possible allocate separate entrances, staircases, and bathroom facilities to different Use bright colours or groups. • • Most schools acknowledged that social distancing groups or bubbles. patterns • Try to keep the school feeling as normal as possible Create identities for different was particularly challenging with younger students. • • The emphasis here is on keeping groups of students by making signage as light touch and as engaging bubbles using colours, separate from each other rather than separating as possible. patterns, shapes etc. Involve students in designing students within the groups, however you still need • and makeing signage. to encourage students to keep their distance within these groups. Demonstrating social distancing Try making cardboard cut out Personal items ‘social wings’ to help physically should be stored demonstrate social distancing to in classrooms to younger students. help keep hallways clear. There are many other ways you can help visualise distances to help make them more familiar. Simple tape markers could turn a corridor into a giant ruler.

Create identities for different groups or bubbles.

Make wayfinding fun!

Use one-way systems where possible to Involve students in reduce congestion in the design of the way communal hallways. finding signage. 13 14 In the classroom

Add Barriers if Forward facing rows Group work possible Seating arrangements There are 3 principles which may help to guide classroom arrangements:

1 Density The number of students per classroom. For the majority of schools reducing the number of students per class will not be possible. Consider alternating between online teaching, outside lessons and classroom teaching to try and reduce the number of students on-site at any one Allocate time. a zone for teachers. There is strong public 25 24 health advice Seats that staff in Geometry Seats secondary schools 2 maintain distance The arrangement of classroom furniture. Reconfigure from their pupils, desks to reduce face-to-face orientation. Assign a desk Horse shoe A Horse shoe B staying at the front space to each pupil and where possible reduce the of the class, number of shared desks.

3 Division Larger spaces can be divided by movable screens or furniture to offer greater flexibility.

Inclusion & Wellbeing

Anxiety felt by retuning students may be far greater in students not able to physically attend classes.

Can you find ways to include 24 25 students who are remote Seats learning / isolating within the Seats Consider microphones! classroom layout? It is best not to shout Many of the primary wherever possible due schools that we to the possible increase spoke to preferred a in aerosol transmission horse shoe classroom risk layout. 15 16 In the classroom

Classroom equipment Ask students to bring • Reduce the number of additional items in classrooms their own small bottle • Remove any soft toys and furnishings, along with any of hand sanitiser and other items that are difficult to clean. a face mask to keep • Where achievable clean equipment between uses. Give each pupil a at their desk. • Allocate basic resources like stationery and paper to cardboard box to individual students. personalise and to store their belongings in. Personal belongings

• Pupils should limit the amount of equipment they bring into school each day, including essentials such as lunch boxes, hats and coats, books, stationery & mobile phones. Bags are allowed. • Where students don’t have lockers they should be storing all their personal belongings with them at their allocated desks. • A simple solution for coats and lunch boxes could be to store these items in a box under their desks. • Consider moving existing lockers outside to reduce internal congestion in the corridors. • Where possible external storage could be considered in sheltered areas. Allocating & personalising space

To reduce movement and shared surfaces, where possible students should be allocated individual desks. To help them to engage with this idea they could be encouraged to personalise their desk spaces.

Allocate each student a tray to keep on their desk to store their Some primary school Students could own resources; pencil students made class create name tags case, workbook etc. pledges, or charters to for their desk and help protect each other. chair to reduce sharing furniture and surfaces.

17 18 Breaktime & Lunchtime Additional hygiene

Regular hand washing Breaktime In practice this requires both additional facilities and • Stagger break times to avoid overcrowding in the time. playground. • Establish a hand washing routine at regular • Split the time between inside play and outside play to intervals throughout the day such as arriving at accommodate for the staggered timetable. school, returning from breaks & changing rooms and • Factor in the additional time required for hand- before and after eating. washing. • In classrooms where a sink is not available, hand • Make up for any loss of outdoor time through sanitiser should be provided. increased outside learning. • Some schools have installed temporary sinks where Playground hygiene one is not available. • Additional hand washing facilities in the • To help keep schools feeling as normal as possible it playground, such as temporary sinks so that is important that students are still able to use play students can wash their hands before entering the equipment. classroom can help to reduce time wasted. • Playground equipment should ideally not be shared • Ask each student to have a personal supply of between students. sanitiser at their desk. • All equipment should be washed in between uses. Anything that is more difficult to clean such as soft toys, or items with fabric surfaces such as tennis 15 minute challenge balls etc. should be removed. • Students should be encouraged to get into a routine Open windows where Many schools commented on the impact that additional Playground zoning of washing equipment after use. possible to improve hand washing has had on time, taking approximately air flow through the 15 minutes out of either the class, or break time. To classroom. • Use of physical barriers reduce the amount of time spent on cleaning, one school such as planters or introduced 15 minute challenges for the class to carry movables screens / out while waiting for everyone to wash their hands. partitions. The challenges ranged from maths puzzles to drawing • Floor demarcations using exercises. coloured chalk etc. • High level ‘soft’ boundaries such as bunting or Use songs to balloons. encourage students to wash their hands for the recommended 20 seconds.

Lunchtime

• Try to reduce the necessity for students to have their lunches in their classrooms. • Try to maintain routine, breaking up the day with a change of scene at lunchtime. Use temporary mobile • If there is not capacity for all classes to use the lunch sinks in classrooms that hall, schools could consider alternating days. don’t already have them. • Utilise other spaces such as covered external areas. These could be moved • Staggered lunchtimes. outside during break times

19 20 Utilising space

Other spaces Adapting external Outside learning

The extent to which a school must reduce class sizes, COVID 19 provides us with an opportunity to rethink how or rearrange classroom layouts to encourage social spaces we use our space in a positive way. During the summer distancing will be dependent on the resources and months many of the schools that we have spoken to Identify any external • Create external classrooms through zoning; using physical space available to them. had embraced outside learning. For those that had, it areas that already soft boundaries to define spaces. has proven to be a positive experience for both staff and provide natural • Provide external coverings to allow existing • Identifying other spaces within the school which students. Now that this has become a daily occurrence in shelter classrooms to expand outside. could be utilised or put to a different use. school life perhaps now could be the time to install some • External furniture, such as benches or tables, can be • Swapping classrooms and dividing larger spaces light shelters? really helpful to prevent having to move classroom where necessary may also help. furniture outside. • Schools and Local Authorities can also consider what other spaces they have available to them in the local community such as; parks, libraries, community centres or community gardens • Can you start a dialogue? • Can a community space help? • Are there shops on the high street that are vacant? Use bunting to help define external classrooms.

External classrooms Outside learning provides a can provide stimulating unique opportunity to be more environments, connected to our environment breaking down the and can help to stimulate normal hierarchy ideas and practices around and structures of a sustainability. traditional classroom.

Positive benefits of outside learning: • New environments can stimulate learning. • Opportunity to engage more closely with the natural environment. Use planters to • Learning through playing. help define external • Fresh air benefits both mind and classrooms. body. Higher levels of activity along with • Provide simple & slightly lower temperatures have flexible external been shown to be more seating. conducive environments for learning for many students.

21 22 Ventilation Mental Wellbeing Simple Mechanical Ventilation Windows & Doors Have you set aside a dedicated ‘safe space’ To balance the need for increased ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature, consider: within the school environment? Space for a conversation, • Opening high level windows in colder weather in Students returning to school may be overwhelmed and ‘every interaction is an preference to low level to reduce draughts experiencing heightened anxiety and stress. Consider the intervention’ • Increasing the ventilation while spaces are greater need for time out and one to one conversations unoccupied (for example, between classes, during on their acclimatisation. break and lunch, when a room is unused) • Providing flexibility to allow additional, suitable Students and staff may be returning having suffered indoor clothing - for more information see school bereavement / emotional trauma uniform • Rearranging furniture where possible to avoid direct draughts A fan positioned to blow out of an open Use muted, calm The most successful approach to naturally refreshing the window can draw colours on walls air is ‘through ventilation’ fresh air through a room on a still day. Remember you will Isolation need another window • Those showing symptoms open for this to work! will need a place to isolate before they are collected. • Consider the worry this may cause. If possible open a lower level window on • A safe space could double one side of the room and a higher level up as a safe on the other. The heat rising in the room isolation space. will naturally draw the air through Provide visual stimuli. Depending on age group this could be styled as a Plants sensory room and soft furnishing Single use / wipe clean distractions Communication • Consider introducing a Airlock `buddy system’. • Ask children to name a On cold days, try incorporating ‘purge’ ventilation trusted adult at home and at strategies where windows are fully opened for school who they can talk to. concentrated periods such as at the end of lessons or • Regularly remind children changeover periods such as breaktime. to talk to their trusted individuals about how they Why not try incorporating this into the classroom are feeling. routine by using it as a teaching moment incorporating • Do your staff have someone imaginative play? A safe space to talk to? doesn’t have to be A 5 minute timer could signal the class to put on a ‘room’. It could imaginary spacesuits preparing for de-compression in also be an outside an airlock on a spaceship or the doors on a ship? space for staff or a computer available Wellbeing knowledge resources: for accessing online www.minded.org.uk resources https://covid.minded.org.uk/ www.gov.uk/ guidance/ teaching-about-mental-wellbeing 23 24 The central role of schools in the community has been reinforced during the pandemic. Amongst the huge difficulties there have been positive insights about ways of learning, pupil and FORWARD teacher needs, communication methods, and adaptation of space. As we move back to the THINKING classrooms how can we adapt our schools? Studios to allow for remote teaching.

Classrooms equipped Staggered use and timed rather than for remote teaching named teaching spaces - flexible use sessions from spaces, perhaps sharing spaces with the external speakers. community. Can the school become a timetable, not a single building?

Outdoor spaces focused on teachers & staff. Wellbeing, safe haven and wrap-around School Buildings services. Could these as exemplars of be accommodated in sustainable design. Outdoor classrooms spaces distinct from with kitchen facilities the dedicated learning and allotments environments? exploring our relationship to the natural environment.

Lightweight external structures to increase capacity for outdoor learning.

Maximise the relationships with the community for offsite learning by advertising Ask whether your making a learning space school resembles ‘something bigger than a an ‘institution’ classroom’. Find space in or a friendly, the community! inspiring education The front gates act as environment. notice board, secure How could this be line and a space improved? for display of pupils work. A meeting point for the school community and the wider community. Flexible temporary structures are integrated into existing external play spaces for maximum flexibility. Existing buildings extended or adapted to accommodate Cycle parking / cycle flexible indoor and share scheme outdoor learning. 27 28 This guide has been developed with and should be read alongside all relevant Government guidance. Please note that knowledge of Covid-19 and best practice guidelines in response to it are evolving, and that this document may be updated to reflect ongoing learning.

By using this document you acknowledge that it does not warrant or guarantee an infection-free or Covid-19 free environment. Neither alma-nac nor any of its shareholders, directors, officers or employees, nor any other Person assisting them in the development of this document, shall be liable for any loss or damage which is suffered as a result of any illness or injury following the use of this document. All participating schools are not responsible for the information contained within this document.

In the event of any conflict between this guide and any government guidance or applicable legislation (including the health and safety legislation), the government guidance and/or applicable legislation should always be followed.

This document is made available for use and distribution under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ©alma-nac

alma-nac collaborative architecture