Education Business

The manner in which the debate about the state of the public finances has dominated news headlines since the general election in early May has left little doubt that major capital spending programmes such as Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and the Primary Capital Programme (PCP) are coming under careful scrutiny. While their long-term future is yet to be confirmed, it seems reasonable to assume that there will at the very least be changes to the way they are run and funding allocated and spent.
    
Nevertheless, the new government has consistently said that education remains one of its priorities and funding for school buildings is likely to remain at a significant level. So perhaps among the changes to these funding streams we may see variation in the proportion of buildings refurbished or remodelled in comparison to new build. Recent figures suggest that 70 per cent of completed BSF projects to date are demolition and new build – statistics that have clear implications for the stock of historic school buildings still in educational use. There are several thousand listed school buildings in England, with many more having community value in the sense that they are liked and valued by their local communities and regarded as local landmarks.

Ensuring best possible education
English Heritage has been an interested observer of BSF and PCP since their inception, and the recent levels of investment pose some interesting questions in relation to historic school buildings – clearly, the investment in and updating of the school estate is both very welcome and necessary to ensure that students receive the best possible education. Along with some other types of public buildings (police and fire stations spring to mind) it is clearly crucial that that the buildings themselves continue to evolve and adapt to allow them to best serve their original purpose – in the case of school buildings to reflect fast moving changes in the national curriculum and pedagogy.
    
But where historic buildings are concerned, how can modern teaching equipment, such as interactive whiteboards or laptops be accommodated? How can we ensure that refurbishment and reuse also retains what is special about these types of buildings? The uses to which school buildings are now put are much wider than used to be the case (leading to flexible and multi-purpose use requirements), while those involved in planning for BSF and PCP investment also need to consider wider issues such as energy efficiency requirements.
    
When combined with the largest investment in school building in living memory, these factors can combine to create an extremely complex situation with tensions as to what the ultimate outputs of the programme are with regard to historic school buildings: should we be aiming for educational transformation, the refurbishment and restoration of a significant building or simply the creation of a functional and well-equipped school? So at first glance, it might appear that there are some hard choices to be made when it comes to planning for BSF and PCP investment with regard to historic school buildings. But in many respects care for the historic environment and a top class learning environment need not be contradictory, or force schools and local education authorities into what are essentially false choices.

Looking at the challenges
As an organisation, English Heritage is extremely conscious of the many conflicting pressures and challenges that face local education authorities, and that dealing with historic buildings can sometimes add an extra layer of complexity. That’s why we have recently published ‘Refurbishing Historic School Buildings’, which presents a series of case studies where historic school buildings have been refurbished, remodelled and extended. Each project identified successful solutions to issues such as rising school rolls, updating and modernising ICT facilities, energy efficiency requirements and comprehensive forward planning for future investment projects.
    
We hope it will help people to better understand that the envelope of an historic building does not mean that a school will be denied the opportunity to modernise facilities or alter the layout of the building to ensure that it is able to provide a top class 21st century educational environment. We are also currently working with colleagues at Mott MacDonald on a technical briefing note that will go into more detail on the kind of issues and solutions common to refurbishment projects on historic school buildings.

Adapting to historic buildings
English Heritage encourages those involved in programmes such as BSF and PCP to take an approach known as Constructive Conservation – using the opportunities afforded by programmes such as BSF and PCP to invest in historic buildings, reinforcing what is special and distinctive about them as part of the refurbishment and at the same time ensuring that they remain fit for purpose in the 21st century. It means being positive about adaptation of the historic fabric where it is sensible to do so, in turn meaning that the building can continue to accommodate new equipment and uses. Such an approach ensures that the inspirational surroundings offered by historic buildings are not denied to future generations of students, while also reusing finite resources in the interests of sustainability.
    
Elm Court School in the London Borough of Lambeth is an excellent example of constructive conservation in practice. Situated within the Brixton Hill conservation area, the refurbished school reopened in April 2009. Careful and imaginative planning, the early involvement of conservation staff and the inherent flexibility of the building itself have combined to create a striking, modern and well-equipped school within the envelope of an historic building.
    
Preparation
In terms of preparation ahead of investment in a local authority’s school estate, other useful factors can underpin this kind of positive approach to the updating and adaptation of historic school buildings. Research to look at the architectural and historic significance of a local authority’s educational estate can help identify significant buildings, thereby removing risk from later stages of the development process, while detailed assessments of individual buildings are vital ahead of refurbishment projects.
    
This is the type of approach taken by Sheffield City Council in its preparations for its entry to the BSF programme. By commissioning a listed building strategy for both its entire school estate and individual buildings, it was able to identify well in advance where its priorities lay. BSF funded work is currently underway at the Grade II listed High Storrs Secondary School, and the research undertaken by the City Council has guided the strategy for the project. This has successfully identified solutions to issues such as ventilation and accessibility while at the same time retaining the character and special interest of the building and its fixtures and fittings.
    
The future
At the time of writing there is much discussion as to the future of BSF and PCP funding. While we may have to wait a little longer to discover if they are to change direction significantly or whether funding levels will be reduced, it is fair to assume that refurbishment projects will continue to play an important role in the overall mix. English Heritage will continue to advise local education authorities and their partners to help find successful and innovative solutions.    

For more information
English Heritage advice on refurbishing historic school buildings and on undertaking assessments of local authority school estates to help with preparation and planning for the investment process, together with the forthcoming technical advice note when available can be found at www.helm.org.uk/historicschools