BSF Building Work Starts

After much wrangling, the build phase of our BSF project at the City of Leicester College finally stated up in April of this year, and is scheduled to be completed by October 2013.  Below right you can see the first steels going up for the Business and the Design & Technogy Hub.

Digging Commences – April 2012

Work in Progress – June 2012

 

Moscow Schools – Small schools, small class sizes

This is the second report from the recent BSF Champions visit to Moscow.   I will be posting more as and when I get around to it.

Students talk about desert islands at School #1298, Moscow

Each class in the Moscow schools we visited were around the same size as ours – between 27 and 30 students.  However, for core subjects such as Maths, Russian Language, Sciences, and ICT, these groups were always split in half so that there were no more than 15 in each group.  The smallest teaching groups were reserved for the teaching of English (as a foreign language) where classes were divided into 3, so that each group had no more than 10 students.  English Language teachers are consequently much in demand in Russian schools.  As pay rates are set by individual head teachers, MFL teachers are often are paid better than other subject teachers!

Teaching groups are never divided by ability – we saw no evidence of setting in any school we visited (with the exception of PE – more on this in a future report!).  However, students need to reach a certain level of competency before moving on to the next year.  Students not making this grade are kept back and repeat the year in the same grade, much like in the USA.  There are also “advanced” courses that only more able students can follow.

The small classes mirrored Moscow’s small schools.  The schools we visited ranged between 300-600 students, with 550 students being the standard size.  This gave schools a homely feel, and it could also be felt in the positive relationships between staff and students, as the teachers knew and had taught most of the students.

Students at School #1920 Moscow perform "little red riding hood"

The teaching of English Language was a real strength in the schools we visited.  I saw some great lessons,  clearly demonstrating the confidence of the Russian students which was in evidence throughout our visit, and the positive relationships between students and with their teacher.  The level of proficiency in English is also very high.

Below are more photos from various lessons with small class sizes…

BSF Champions Group visits Judgemeadow

Last week the BSF Champions Group took a tour of one of the newly built phase 1 BSF schools,  Judgemeadow Community College.  Below is a short video from the tour. ( I’ll add some more detailed text about the visit soon).

One of the advantages of The City of Leicester College being a phase 2 school is that we can learn from those schools who have gone through the process before us.  There were lots of good things about Judgemeadow’s new design- the space, the calm atmosphere, the  flexible working spaces – and of course lots and lots of new shiny stuff!  Take a look for yourself by clicking the video below!

It was quite an uplifting experience, and I left with my head buzzing with the possibilities for our own College design.

How to Design a BSF School

For those wondering about the process of designing a new school under BSF, this video is well worth a watch.   It’s a slideshow with audio taken from a lecture at the University of Nottingham by Alan Dale, an Education Architect and independent consultant for a number of London Boroughs on BSF.

The first 5 minutes are  a bit dull, but it does get better! Try and stay with it beyond the first couple of slides!

In the video, Alan Dale explains how the BSF design process moves from initial vision, to a list of rooms and requirements, to considering adjacencies, before moving on to design ideas.  He takes a look at different plan forms and also discusses issues around circulation and flexible building design.

The lecture gives an interesting overview of the process  of designing a new school, and you can spot a number of the similar design elements in our own original design plans from 2005.

Integrated ICT – Dream the dream

This video is from Ramesys Education, who have been awarded contracts to manage ICT services for BSF schools in Manchester and a few of the London Boroughs.

It’s a vision of school day where the use of integrated ICT enriches and enables students to learn effectively. We follow 2 students as they go about their day, making use of a variety of gadgets and systems and generally having a very relaxed and jolly time.

What I like about it most is not so much the technology itself, but the reliability of all the components. They all seem to work flawlessly and are totally hassle free.  Sasha doesnt once appear to want to bash her laptop repeatedly into a wall in frustration when it eats her homework assignment or loses connection in the middle of her presentation.

Unfortunately, by all accounts the reality is somewhat trailing the dream – I heard that the Learning Platform Ramesys have been putting into their schools is horrible.  The managed ICT services is for many the biggest bugbear in BSF. For me, the most important things will be the reliability of services provided and the ability for teachers to continue to be innovative and try new things.

Learning Plaza – Could it work at TCOLC?

I was recently shown this video clip of the  “Learning Plaza”, at New Line Learning Academy, in Maidstone, Kent.  I thought was interesting and would like to share with you and ask if staff and students at our college would like to see something similar as part of our new build.

The Learning Plaza is designed to hold 90 students at any one time – equivalent to 3 standard classes.  There are enormous green tiered sofas at either end of the room which act as little amphitheatres.  Between these is an assortment of office-style work space and ICT facilities.   Teachers gather the students at one of the ends for group-work.   Students can choose to kick off their shoes and lounge around on the sofas, working on their tasks with notepad computers, or sit at more traditional desks.  You’ll have to watch the video to get the full idea!

Students respond favourably, saying its more relaxing and encourages them to behave – they dont want to get banned from using the space. The staff at the Academy are also very positive about the impact the learning plaza has made, and consider it a contributing factor in their improving results. So what do you think?  As a teacher, would you enjoy working in a space like this?  Could you share space with 2 other colleagues/classes or do you prefer having your own classroom?  Do you think students at TCOLC would respond well to working in this sort of environment? As a student, do you think you would learn better here or in a more traditional classroom? Vote in the poll, or post your comments below!

Leicester Phase 1 Schools Slideshow

Thanks to Mike McPherson for sharing this slideshow of photos taken during recent tours of Beaumont Leys, Fullhurst, Judgemeadow and Soar Valley.

There are not many photos of Leicester’s newly built phase 1 BSF schools floating around the net yet, so its great to finally get the opportunity to peek inside!

Some very interesting and  different approaches to design in each of the four schools.

There was one common thread running through each new build…  you can have any colour you like – as long as it can be found in a packet of starbursts.

A Quick look at Leicester’s completed BSF Schools

Leicester City has completed its phase 1 new builds for four schools, namely

Beaumont Leys School
Fullhurst Community College
Soar Valley College
Judgemeadow College

Below are a few images of the new buildings, along with a few  snippets from their design brief  (courtesy of the Leicester City Council website).  They are a bit low quality – I’ll try and get some better ones soon.

Beaumont Leys School

Beaumont Leys - Exterior view

Beaumont Leys - Interior view

“The building itself is brick with colourful panels with transparent panels so that people can see the entrance and learning resource areas.  Set in two and three storey blocks, the offices, class rooms, toilets and other spaces will be laid out to make the building easy to navigate.  This also gives greater flexibility of teaching spaces.

The entrance foyers leads to areas including dining, the main hall and learning resource suites.  This part of the school makes up the community zone; the school has been designed to encourage the out of hours use of the school by local residents”.

Fullhurst Community College

Fullhurst Community College - External View

Fullhurst Community College - Interior View

“The new buildings have been built around the existing main hall and form part of the communal areas. A new entrance which includes a glass façade that allows for natural light and ventilation has also been constructed.  The design incorporates spacious corridors to help with the efficient movement of pupils and staircases are now located to maximise space and allow natural light into all areas. Flexible teaching spaces are a key component of the remodelling of the school and will be used for individual and group work.

Fullhurst retains its 1930’s red brick façade and clock tower at the rear of the new design. This iconic symbol of the school in the local community is the original entrance and will help to retain the character of the existing school. The school is a combination of high quality modern design and technology whilst preserving some of the architectural features of the old building. “

Judgemeadow Community College

Judgemeadow - exterior view

“A dynamic combination of teaching ‘wings’ projecting out from a hub with the social and dining spaces at the core.  The teaching wings are clusters of facilities arranged on different floors around faculty resource areas.  The dining and social areas are glazed to give plenty of light and views outside.

The auditorium, entrance, panoramic café, dining room and library are curved, glazed double height spaces.  Inside, the rooms have been carefully arranged to make it easy to get around.  Flexible resource areas are placed at the heart of each curriculum zone.  Plenty of natural lights will help make the school feel spacious.  Outside, the entrance has been designed as a safe, well lit space with routes The new school has spacious outdoor sports areas, hard and soft play areas and a garden of reflection with dining social space and a landscaped amphitheatre”.

Soar Valley College

Soar Valley College - arial view

Soar Valley College - Exterior View

“In keeping with the surroundings, most of the school is no more than two storeys high.  Inside, the rooms have been carefully arranged to make the school easy to get around.  The layout means that there is plenty of natural light and some views of the landscape.

The building has a welcoming frontage to highlight the school being there to service the whole community.  The flexible layout of the school means that it can accommodate large and small groups for uses such as adult education.  The design of the school maximises space for sports pitches including the prominent cricket pitch.”

Bulldozers at Beaumont Leys

While I was attending the first BSF Champions meeting at Beaumont Leys CLC, the bulldozers were busy reducing the old Beaumont Leys buildings to a pile of rubble.

Bulldozers at Beaumont Leys 1/2 - 30 June 2009

Bulldozers at Beaumont Leys 2/2 - 30 June 2009

How long before we say goodbye to Wyvern and Gill?

Videos – sharing the experience

I’m aiming to take short video clips from visits to other BSF schools and and upload them here  so you can share the experience.  If I come across any other interesting videos about BSF from youtube, teachers tv, or wherever, I’ll also share them here.
This one is from Wolverhampton – its their BSF “vision thing”.  Lots of whooshing and shiny equipment and engaged children.  Worth a watch!