Urban PrimaryBlackfriars

Designers:

Realm ISD

The Tree HouseBlackfriars Primary School

Concept

In the centre of the Learning Park is the Tree House. The Tree House is a natural gathering place, the tree a symbol of knowledge, of growth, the environment and the world outside.

The Tree House at Blackfriars is also their library, a place of books, language and stories which nourishes young minds making them strong. Time spent here will feed learning and knowledge will blossom.

Qualities

Tree Houses can provide interesting learning opportunities and are great spaces for learning, for play, for quiet activities, thinking and observing. If you are creating a Tree House, consider the following qualities of real Tree Houses:

- Tree Houses have changes of level, which enables us to see things from a different perspective. This might mean perching on a branch or sitting on a cushion on the floor.

- Tree Houses have personality and provide opportunities for children to express their identity, to decorate and personlise the space.

- They are often casual and comfortable spaces, cozy and homely.

- Most importantly Tree Houses are special places. The children should feel that they own this place and they want to spend time here.

Make it

Ways to create Tree Houses at your school:

- Trees can be made from routered mdf panels cut to a tree profile

- Foliage can be made form hung banners of pupils’ art work

- Vinyl, murals and digital imagery can be used on walls or ceilings

- Add a base of mossy green carpet or log stools

- Add a garden shed or shelter

- Use stepped storage for changes of levels

The Tree House

In the heart of the Learning Park is the Tree House, a fun place for discovery

and storytelling. In the shelter of the Tree House learners and teachers gather at its

foot and share stories.

A simple stand alone tree, with routered mdf branches

A Tree House from stepped library shelves creates a round sheltered space to sit and share stories

A simple tree with a base pf stepped storage and hanging painted banners as foliage

Stepped storage also provides a space for presentations, performance or small group work

Easy-to-assemble sheds can be added to provide small spaces for quiet activity

“For Blackfriars Primary, it was really important to give books pride of place in the heart of the

school. The idea of the Tree House was to create a place that really connected children to their

learning and to the actvity of reading. It was a fun way to put books and storytelling centre stage”

Antonia Cairns, Realm_ ISD

Tree Houses with storage, changes of level and ‘washing lines’ to hang work

Blackfriars Primary School

The Tree House Library

Blackfriars Primary School

The Learning Park

Concept

In the heart of the School on the ground floor is the Learning Park. The Learning Park is an open tech-rich learning environment, a connective space through which all learning activities flow.

The Learning Park has the potential to change the whole dynamic of this 1970s urban school: re-connecting the indoors and outdoors; re-connecting pupils with their learning journeys; re-connecting children with each other, and, via technology, with the world outside.

Qualities

A Learning Park provides an open and immersive ICT-rich space offering new learning and teaching choices. If you are creating a Learning Park consider the following qualities of real Parks:

- Parks are big - this Learning Park holds double-classes including the library area, while use of Gym, Dining or Outdoors will support larger learning groups

- Parks are fun, open and stimulating - a Learning Park should make the learning activities visible and stimulate the interest of others

- Parks are busy, real-world environments - a Learning Park can use technology to immerse us in real-world learning, in a topic or a theme

- Parks provide choice and variety of spaces, some active, some quiet - a Learning Park allows choice for staff and students to easily change location based on lesson or activity

Make it

Ways to create Learning Parks at your school:

- Provide flexible and fun furniture and settings, from picnic tables to stools, from park benches to cushions, offer variety and choice

- Integrate mobile technology and use projection to immerse children in another world setting or in their topic of theme

- Kiosks’ provide some fixed ICT and storage and can be shut down at night to enable ICT kit to be secured

The Learning Park

The key opportunity at Blackfriars Primary is to create a Learning Park in the ground floor of the school: an open, dynamic and stimulating learning space which engages

and connects the school community.

The ‘Kiosks’ provide fixed ICT workstations and secure storage for kit

The centre of the ‘Learning Park’ has loose furniture and a bench area for laptop use

The ICT Kiosks have timber slat-ted backs like fencing, to allow visibility through the space

The ICT Kiosks can be closed off out of school hours to keep kit safe and secure

The Learning Park is open to circulation areas, meaning the activity in the space visible to all

“This School benefits from plenty of space indoors and outdoors, but the classrooms are upstairs far from the outside spaces. By creating a new tech rich learning park on the ground floor, there is a chance to change the way the school use all of

their learning space, indoors and out.”

Antonia Cairns, Realm_ ISD

The Learning Park is an open flexible environment, providing a choice of settings for learning

Blackfriars Primary School

The Learning Park

Blackfriars Primary School

The Pavilion

The Pavilion

The Park Pavilion is a small adaptive tech rich space created by re-use of an old

cloakroom cage in the location of the new learning park. It has a temporary ‘pop-up’

nature for continual changes of use.

Hoardings could include bold graphic panels advertising learning events or practical pinable panels

As well as an ICT space (shown below) the space can be cleared for events and showcasing work

The hybrid Pavilion sits like a small lightweight building in the Learning Park

This hybrid option which includes the Kiosks to extend the capacity of the Pavilion for a whole class

The hybrid Pavilion includes the Learning Park Kiosks

“The Pavilion idea came from making use of what was there. The School was keen to keep the

cage enclosure to secure ICT kit and this got us thinking about hoardings. The need for a secure

ICT space will change over time, so we suggested making a temporary adaptable space”

Antonia Cairns, Realm_ ISD

Flexible, stackable furniture and hoardings can be changed based on learning activities

Blackfriars Primary School

The Park Pavilion

Concept

In the centre of the new Learning Park is an old cloakroom cage. One option is to leave this cage in situ and transform it into a lightweight Learning Pavilion.

The Pavilion is created by adapting the cage with new fixings and panels, creating hoardings. Together with flexible furniture and projection, this enables the space to become a secure but highly adaptable learning space.

Qualities

The Pavilion in this School has a focus on ICT but it is an adaptable space and there are many activities it will support: events, talks, small performance, group learning and exhibition. If you are creating a Pavilion, consider the following qualities of real Pavilions:

- Pavilions are often lightweight changeable structures for temporary exhibits, events, performance, artistic and community activities

- Pavilions often have a special relation to the outdoors

- The facade of Hoardings are usually lively urban elements, with panels advertising activities and events and showing temporary art installations

- Hoardings can be stored away as practical prefabricated elements, and are put in place to provide security in open spaces

Make it

Ways to create a Pavilions at your school:

- Create stackable Hoarding panels to change the used of spaces, including whiteboards, pin-boards and coat storage

- Use mobile and stackable furniture to enable Pavilions to be cleared for other activities and regular changes of use.

- Get children involved - the cage structure could be a trellis for children to weave in fabrics creating art installations instead of hoardings

- Use the space as a blank canvas, view the changes you make as temporary and allow your use of the space to evolve organically

The Learning LandscapeBlackfriars Primary School

The Learning Landscape

The ideas for Blackfriars Primary are centred on making small changes, inside

and out. Changes that shift the whole dynamic of the School, by creating

stimulating, fun places to learn and play.

Planting vegetables to learn about health, nutrition, the environment and wellbeing

Combine raised beds with a poly tunnel and trellises to grow a range of fruit and vegetables

Woodland areas can be outdoor classes with simple wooden seat-ing in natural clearings

Mini beast houses can be built in the woodland areas, with a small science nature lab nearby indoors

The outdoor class can include stepped decking, fence wind-breaks and use of covered areas

“At Blackfriars Primary they have so much outdoor space, there is huge potential for outdoor

learning. By focusing on a number of zones – for example an active learning zone , a nature

zone and a growing zone - small projects can be initiated to embrace these opportunities”

Antonia Cairns, Realm_ ISD

Simple changes to outdoor areas might include changing a brick raised bed to an outdoor class

Blackfriars Primary School

Outdoor Classrooms

Concept

The ideas developed for inside the school centre on the concept of a Learning Park. One of the things that this would achieve is to re-connect the whole inside of the school to the outdoors.

By bringing learning into the heart of the school, the activities can flow from inside to out, and the school can make full use of their outdoor space.

Qualities

The outdoor spaces in, and beyond our school grounds, can provide stimulating spaces for learning and play. To make the most of the outdoor opportunities, take inspiration from how we use gardens, public parks and the outdoors:

- Gardens are spaces for growing - create a community garden where children and others can gain the benefits of growing fruit and vegetables

- Nature trails can be fascinating learning places - look at opportunities for wildlife habitats (ponds, mini-beast houses, hedgehog hotels, bat boxes) and introduce plants attractive to wildlife

- Children are drawn to park playgrounds - look at creating small playground areas with equipment or colourful painted games to draw children into learning and play activities

- Big parks are often zoned with varied types of outdoor spaces - think about how your outdoor spaces lend themselves to learning activities

Make it

Ways to support outdoor learning at your school:

- Disused flat spaces with good light can easily be converted with a few raised beds and poly tunnels to a great space to grow vegetables

- If you have areas of tarmac in your school grounds, look at painting surfaces for games and keep a store of outdoor learning props

- Outdoor classrooms can be created with benches or logs using natural shelters. Get children involved in building outdoor spaces

- Get creative with outdoor art projects which can be brought together as a sculpture park

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