Sheffield pupils help architects to design own schools

Pupils at three Sheffield schools are being asked by architects to help design the school of the future, giving them the chance to say what is good and what is bad about where they learn now.

Bond Bryan Architects, a firm which designs schools around the country, has teamed up with teachers and pupils at St Mary's, Wisewood and Myers Grove schools to develop inspirational learning environments via their ‘MySpace for Learning’ initiative.

Bond Bryan’s Rosie Dodgson says: “We are filming the pupils’ ideas and designs for how they would improve their own learning spaces and the best suggestions will be incorporated into our designs for schools around the UK.

“We have organised a series of workshops where the pupils use various props to summarise what they like and dislike about the spaces they learn in and then they show us how their ideal space for learning would look. One of the main objectives is for the children to have fun designing their ideal school, as well as giving us an insight into exactly what makes the pupils tick. We have been designing schools for over a decade but we feel we can always learn more and who better to teach us than the end users?”

Bernard Griffiths, assistant head teacher at Wisewood School, says: “This exercise was great to raise pupils’ awareness of design, but it also gave them the opportunity to really apply their imaginations to the spaces they see every day.”

Elliot Reynolds, a Wisewood School pupil, says: “We looked at pictures of other schools and talked about where we go to school and then we talked about what is good and bad about schools and we drew our favourite ideas. I think it would be great if we could design our own school. I would have a massive playground.”

A short film exploring the outcome of the workshops and the process undertaken by the team has been produced by Sheffield-based Quick Feet Production and is being exhibited at the Workstation, Sheffield from Thursday 25 June until Sunday 5 July and screened during the children’s media conference, Showcomotion.