Conference 10 Resources

Designing School Theatres

Now available! Conference10: Designing School Theatres report

As MPs debate the Academies Bill this week, The Theatres Trust, the national advisory public body for theatres, publishes a report highlighting the need to improve the quality of theatres and performing arts facilities in schools.
View Press release (PDF)

Policy

A Place for Culture: Developing a local culture offer for all children and young people (PDF) is a joint DCMS and DCSF publication that sets out how far both departments have come towards realising a vision that all children, no matter where they live or what their background, should have the opportunity to enjoy high quality cultural experiences in and out of school.

Performing Arts Design Guidance

Arts spaces in schools, designing for excellence (PDF) is a guidance document by The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (supported by Arts Council England) offers ideas for discussion, guidance and checklists based on examples of good practice in schools and academies affiliated to the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Guidelines for the Development of Performance Spaces for Schools by Ric Green, Operations & Technical Director Opera North and also a Principal Consultant with Theatresearch, highlights issues that need to be thought through when developing a performance space.

Designing Space for Sports and Arts: Design Guidelines for Sports and Arts Facilities in Primary Schools for Dual School and Community Use is a joint publication by DFEE, Sport England and Arts Council England that offers general design proposal guidance for sports and arts spaces in England’s primary schools, where these types of spaces can be used by both school and community members. It also also presents casestudies to provide examples of good practice and discusses ways to deal with dual use design challenges in order to promote higher design quality and allow for innovation.

BSF Guidance

Requirements and guidance on culture for local authorities entering the second half of the Building Schools for the Future programme (PDF) created by Partnerships for Schools (PfS) aims to support those committed to embedding arts and culture within the BSF programme. The role of culture in education transformation and community engagement now has to be formally considered as part of the BSF process.

The Win Win Scenario (PDF) a reference toolkit created by Sport England explains the benefits of community use of school facilities and demonstrates how a collaborative approach can deliver the best results.

Partnership for Schools Building Bulletins

Building Bulletin 98: Briefing framework for secondary school projects sets out simple, realistic, non-statutory area guidelines for secondary school buildings and grounds. It also includes simple guidance on how schools and LAs should develop the brief for any secondary school and the design criteria that are crucial for the client body to consider.