This week Education Funding Agency (EFA) revealed its long awaited baseline school designs for primary and secondary schools. Whilst our industry is not invited to blindly copy the blueprints they clearly set the bar for what the EFA expect contractors and designers to deliver as part of the priority schools building programme.

We all expected to see lots of straight lines, reduced classroom sizes and circulation space and designs that could be adapted to pre-fabrication; in some respects sensible ideas that the baseline schemes seem to have addressed. But have they gone too far…the primary school design we should all emulate has squeezed entrance and key circulation space which also appears to be devoid of any natural daylight and hence views to the outdoors. Let’s hope our children enjoy playing sardines!

The EFA sample designs are available on their website, click here for a link.