Hi-tech designs to create schools of the future in NSW

All schools built in NSW from this year on will be constructed like giant Meccano sets where interior walls can be rearranged to suit changing usage and pupil numbers, and avoid costly knockdowns and rebuilds. SEE THE LIST OF NEW SCHOOLS

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All schools built in NSW from this year on will be constructed like giant Meccano sets where interior walls can be rearranged to suit changing usage and pupil numbers and avoid costly knockdowns and rebuilds.

As Education Minister Rob Stokes told The Sunday Telegraph of the future of the state’s school buildings he also attacked local councils by demanding shady deciduous trees be planted in school grounds because they give more shade than natives ­demanded by councils.

An artist impression of a newly designed school at Oran Park. Picture: Supplied

The new-look Newcastle East Primary School. Picture: Supplied

Mr Stokes said that as laptops, tablets and wireless ­internet change the way schools are built classroom layouts will no longer be tied to wall sockets or tangled in wire tripping hazards.

He said the schools of the future, which will be built to last 100 years, are so flexible they are forcing teachers to rethink their lesson plans and the best layout for each lesson.

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Schools slated for construction will be unique from the outside but the interior will be built like a Meccano construction set with interchangeable wall panels to change classroom layouts to reflect fluctuating enrolment and educational needs that haven’t even been thought of yet, he said.

“A good example is North Kellyville Public School where the wall panels can literally be taken out and moved around,” Mr Stokes said.

North Kellyville Public School opened last week for 300 students from Kindergarten to Year 6 but is still under construction to cater for 1000 students by next year.

“The schools are built so if the principal decides in a few years time they want to move the admin block around, for example, they can do it cheaply without tearing the whole school down,” he said.

Cecil Hills High School’s proposed upgrade. Picture: Supplied

Bardia Public School is using a more circular design. Picture: Supplied

Randwick Public School’s proposed new design. Picture: Supplied

According to Mr Stokes, the biggest driver of change to the look of classrooms has been wireless technology, which has reduced the ­importance of computer labs and freed up space around the outside of the classroom where computers once were.

Mr Stokes also picked a fight with local councils by demanding deciduous trees with plenty of shade be ­planted because they give more shade than natives.

“In the past busybody councils have insisted all the trees be indigenous to the local area,” he said.

“A lot of (native trees) don’t provide a great deal of shade and drop branches, creating real safety issues and contribute to the maintenance backlog.

“The exotic trees councils don’t like are often precisely the very species that need to be planted.”

The government’s school architecture guide encourages the planting of deciduous trees to protect from summer sun and let in winter light.

Adequate daylight has been found to improve students’ learning in maths by as much as 20 per cent and reading by 26 per cent.