Vandalism and bullying decrease in 'inspirational' BSF school

02 June 2008

Students at one of the first Building Schools for the Future schools to open in England say they feel safer and enjoy going to school more now because of their new surroundings, according to a study conducted by the National Foundation for Education Research into the effects of the school environment on young people’s attitudes to education and learning.

Vandalism, graffiti, littering, and bullying were all thought to be much less of a problem in the new school which students described as ‘inspirational’, ‘colourful’, ‘motivational’, ‘stimulating’ and ‘comfortable’. The numbers of students who said they now planned to stay on in the sixth form or go to college rose from 64 per cent to 77 per cent after the new buildings opened.

The ‘before’ and ‘after’ survey of around 200 students at the brand-new Bristol Brunel Academy, which opened in September 2007, suggests a strong association between the move to new surroundings and students’ outlooks regarding their experience of school and their expectation for the future.

The majority of teachers questioned also provided positive feedback about their new environment, saying they enjoyed teaching more and felt more motivated and proud to be a teacher at the school.

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, the government agency responsible for the delivery of the BSF programme nationwide, said that with 13 BSF schools now open there was a growing body of evidence demonstrating the positive impact of new and refurbished schools on students, teachers and local communities.

“Building Schools for the Future is about much more than simply bricks and mortar, it’s about providing safe, welcoming and inspirational spaces where all learners are encouraged to reach their potential.

“A new or refurbished school is not a magic bullet to improve behaviour, attendance or performance overnight, but research such as this demonstrates that by investing in schools we are investing in better and brighter futures for young people and are helping them to raise their aspirations.”

Amongst the most significant findings, the proportions of students:

• who said that they felt safe at school most or all of the time increased from 57 to 87 per cent
• who said that they felt proud of their school increased from 43 to 77 per cent
• who said that they enjoyed going to school increased from 50 to 61 per cent
• who perceived that vandalism was at least ‘a bit of a problem’ in their school decreased from 84 per cent of respondents to 33 per cent
• who perceived that bullying was a big problem decreased from 39 per cent of students in the ‘before’ survey, to 16 per cent in the ‘after’ survey
• who expected to stay on in the sixth form or to go to college increased from 64 per cent to 77 per cent.

David Carter, Executive Principal of Bristol Brunel Academy, said: "This year has been such a positive experience for staff and students at Bristol Brunel Academy. The building is one of the most intelligent I have had the pleasure to work in, and the feedback from the survey supports the evidence that we have on the ground. Evidence that suggests students feel safe, happy, inspired and more determined than ever to make a success of their education. The building is only one feature of our improvement journey, but what a feature it is!"

How and where students learn has seen some changes in the new building with more students working on their own, increased use of ICT/new technologies, and more teacher demonstrations and practical lessons after the move.

In both surveys, PE came out on top as the favourite subject – but with a 14 per cent increase stimulated by the improved sports facilities. ICT also saw a major increase in popularity, along with mathematics and geography.

A full copy of the research, The effects of the school environment on young people’s attitudes towards education and learning, is available to download here.

Notes to Editors

1. 193 Year 7 students (aged 11 and 12) from Speedwell Technology College took part in ‘before’ survey, with 203 students taking part in the follow up survey in the new Bristol Brunel Academy. Eight form tutors answered short questionnaires to gauge their attitudes to the new teaching environment.
2. A ‘before’ and ‘after’ film with students in Bristol talking about their new BSF school is available on the PfS website at:
   www.p4s.org.uk/library/bsf_voices_gallery.jsp
3. Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the largest single schools capital investment programme for over 50 years. BSF will provide world-class teaching and learning environments for all pupils, teachers and communities in England.
4. There are now 13 BSF schools, including "Quick Win" schools, open nationwide: Bristol Metropolitan College, Bristol (April 08); Ifield School, Kent (March 08); Michael Tippett SEN School, Lambeth (Feb 08); Sandon High School, Stoke (Feb 08); Birches Head, Stoke (Oct 07); Elm Green, Lambeth (Sept 07); Bristol Brunel Academy (Sept 07); Sixth Form, Haringey (Sept 07); Oxclose, Sunderland (June 07); Chaucer, Sheffield (Oct 06); Bamburgh, STaG  (Oct 06); All Saints, Newcastle (Sept 06); and Solihull Centre for Inclusive Learning (May 06).
5. Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is the delivery agency for Building Schools for the Future. PfS was established in April 2004 as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), and is operated and funded under a joint venture between DCSF (formerly DfES) and Partnerships UK.
6. The new PfS website (www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk) includes progress reports on every BSF scheme, and a new online collaboration tool will be launched shortly to give stakeholders the chance to form online networking groups to discuss BSF issues and challenges.

Media enquiries

For more information, contact Nicky Old on 020 7273 0031 (email nicky.old@partnershipsforschools.org.uk) or Amy Leonard on 07960 116966.