RIBA Good Design in Schools Survey

Survey of school teachers in England on behalf of RIBA on the topic of school design

Majorities of teachers believe school design is important for a number of educational outcomes, including providing an effective learning environment (93%), student educational outcomes (81%), or reducing bullying (65%).
In general, the majority of teachers are positive about their existing school. Three quarters of teachers rate the quality of the buildings in their current school as good, and a majority say their school provides each of the good design features tested;
However, substantial proportions of teachers disagree that their school provides each of the design features tested, most notably a third of teachers say their school does not provide a space for teachers to carry out planning, preparation and assessment;
In addition, although the majority say their school is the right size for the number of students, two in five say it is too small;
One in five teachers report that they have considered quitting or quit a teaching role because of the condition of school facilities. One in twenty say that they have quit a teaching role, and the condition of facilities played a part in this decision. Teachers who rate the quality of their school buildings as poor are more likely to have considered quitting, suggesting that the quality of buildings does play a role in this decision for some.

Date Published: 11/05/2016

Categories: Education | Infrastructure | Professionals | Social | UK

Client: Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)

Methodology

ComRes interviewed 501 school teachers in England online between the 11^th and 25^th of February 2016. Of these teachers, 205 teach at a primary school, 270 at a secondary school and 26 at a SEND school.