Teaching and Practising Sustainability

An innovative and groundbreaking creative project has taken place at St Pancras Catholic Primary School in Lewes, East Sussex. It charts the design and construction of a new building and uses this as a multi-faceted development tool for pupils and teachers. We also hope it will encourage all those involved in school buildings to understand how design can contribute to rising education standards and helping with community cohesion.

The new building is a landmark, eco-friendly learning environment. The project planners have developed new techniques and knowledge around sustainable technology and the environment.

The accompanying film and DVD to the building will include information on all the important aspects of the process: fundraising, writing a design brief, choosing an architect and using ICT to enhance the curriculum.

Through this, pupils and teachers can learn about their environment, whilst gaining valuable key skills by contributing to the compilation of the final product itself. It is hoped this will also be a valuable resource for Local Authorities and construction companies looking to develop sustainable building projects.

This is interactive learning at its most effective. The knowledge from the Project impacts in many different ways. Children help produce some of the content of the DVD and video through filming, interviewing and surveying. This content then becomes a separate source of learning. Additionally, we hope all those who experience the space will see how the physical environment can facilitate learning, and so on. The skills learnt here can then be adapted and transferred across the curriculum.

Pupils have begun to manage the learning process for themselves, monitoring and filming the construction process. From regular planning meetings with the architects to plan the week ahead, they work day to day without supervision and select who and what to film. Higher years mentor lower years and train them in all aspects of filming and editing.

Over two years since the Project's inception, the curriculum has developed significantly. Using their experience, pupils have developed:

• interview techniques - Year 6 pupils use the techniques to study and write news articles on local events;
• editing and writing skills;
• speaking and listening skills;
• filing and software techniques.

The Project has stimulated children's creativity, independence and willingness to learn. Excitement surrounds all aspects of the Project, as some children use sound editing and filming to improve the choreography of performances in the Arts. Those intrigued by the diggers on site will carry out research into hydraulics, keen to build a working model in science.

It is this direct involvement that has begun to pay dividends, with a vitalized staff and pupil body, ensuring everybody benefits from the entire learning process.

To find out more about the Project, visit the St Pancras Catholic Primary School website.

To find out more about how pupils have been involved in designing new schools, take a look at the joinedupdesignforschools page.

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