A School for the Future

A Creative Partnerships Project for Harton Technology College

December 2007 – February 2008

As part of a Creative Partnerships project, Northern Architecture has been helping pupils at Harton Technology College to develop ideas for the refurbishment of their school. Through the Building Schools for the Future programme, Harton Technology College will soon be working up plans to improve their school in order to better support the needs of pupils, teachers and the wider community.

To get things started, and to help pupils have their say, Northern Architecture developed a simple challenge that inspired pupils to think creatively about what they and others might needed from their school in the future. They were asked to consider, not only how their new building might look, but also how it will function to match the needs of everyone who will use it.

Over 750 pupils were introduced to examples of inspiring and innovative architecture during year group assemblies before spending their art lessons working on ideas that would improve their school environment. They were given several headings to work under and to prompt their ideas, including ‘classrooms’, ‘social spaces’ and ‘impact on the environment’.

After each completing an A3 ideas sheet, a number of pupils’ worked with Lowri Bond, Sarah Allen and Fiona Forsythe to construct an installation that represented pupils’ aspirations for their ‘new’ school. The installation consisted of numerous tetrahedrons, inside which hung the ideas pupils had generated. Parents who attended a consultation evening supported by Xsite Architecture were able to view the pupils’ suggestions and use them to help formulate their own ideas about how the new school could become a better resource for the community.