Impact / Further Studies
Building on the evidence of the HEAD study, there has been a lot of interest in the results from a variety of stakeholders.
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A wide range of talks and workshops have been given for practicing teachers, including briefings on the implications of the findings, but also team exercises to bring the results to life. The response from teachers has been very positive and action-orientated. International links to practitioners have been forged, for example, via the Australian educational network (ACER) and an event in Portugal. There are even some wise words from pupils themselves in the BBC Newsround item available here!
In parallel talks and workshops have been delivered to property managers and designers in order to assist in the tricky issue of prioritising investment.
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At a policy level the HEAD findings have, for example, caught the attention of the UK Department for Education, the UK All Party Parliamentary Group for Education, Scottish Department of Education, EBDOG (Educational Building and Development Officers Group) and Constructing Excellence in Wales. Internationally links have been forged with Norwegian Education Directorate and, through the World Bank, with the Romanian Ministry for Education. Close interaction has and is taking place with the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and the US based ANFA (Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture) and American Institute of Architects).
Some bodies have commissioned research studies to translate the HEAD findings into their own particular domain, for example:
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2018- date: Presentations for the World Bank to experts / Government officials in various regions (Uzbekistan, Tonga, Indonesia, Washington) aiming to maximise the value derived from investments to be made.
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2018-2019: Consultancy work with Gratnells to produce a series of joint articles articulating the teacher's perspective with the HEAD results.
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2017-2019: Consultancy input to the work of Farrans Construction to maximise the positive impacts of the new schools they are building.
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2017-2017: Consultancy work with Velux delivering a series of workshops across the UK highlighting the impact of school design on learning.
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2017-2017: Consultancy study (Professor Peter Barrett with Dr Lucinda Barrett) of the impact of physical school design on learning and transitions amongst Reception and KS1 primary school children, for the Girls’ Day School Trust in the UK. This study involved case study fieldwork in five GDST schools.
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2016-2017: Consultancy study (Professor Peter Barrett with Dr Lucinda Barrett) of the potential impact of physical conditions of a sample of Romanian schools on learning outcomes, for the World Bank, working for the National Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Development in Romanian. This study involved a combination of desk studies and case study fieldwork in five Romanian schools.
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2016-2016: Consultancy study (Professor Peter Barrett with Dr Lucinda Barrett), HEAD for Norway, a study to translate the HEAD schools’ findings to the Norwegian context for the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Training. This study involved three case studies of schools in Norway.