Atrium, Cardiff

• The traditional idea of a one-or-two-storey school, spread over a vast campus is no longer an option for some new schools.
• Some academics argue vertical schools are not well suited to children’s need for space and learning.

I asked students for their opinion

My study published this week surveyed students at three vertical schools. The schools had between five and ten storeys and were in Brisbane and Melbourne. They enrol students from the first year of schooling to Year 12. I interviewed 38 students in years 3 to 7 through walking tours. They led me around their school, telling me what they liked and didn’t like about their environment.

Children still want space to play

• Students told me they wanted access to outside and inside play spaces, even when the weather was bad.
• They said covered terraces, rooftop gardens and wide hallways allowed students to play in rainy weather.
• Regular schools often have limited indoor play spaces or their covered outdoor learning areas are easily flooded.

They don’t want to spend breaks climbing stairs

• Children had to travel via the stairs multiple times a day, for recess or lunch breaks or to change classes.
• Students said having to line up to walk up or down the stairs during the peak recess or lunch time wasted their breaks.
• This was particularly a concern for the primary school participants in years 3 to 5 who found climbing the stairs “tiring” and said it “hurt [their] legs”.

They don’t want too much noise

• Students said they were major sources of noise pollution.
• This particularly happens when the learning areas are open to the atrium and the main staircase and therefore the noise travels between the levels.
• Research suggests building stairs in the corners of the building and separating them from the atrium can minimise noise.

But they want to be able to bump into each other

• Atriums, wide stairs, and expansive views both inward and outward can promote a sense of community at school.
• And sometimes kids can watch their friends go to choir on those steps down there and they wave to them.
• [Kids] can see what’s going on down there and if they see someone, they can knock on the glass and wave.

They also want a choice over the use of outdoor spaces

• Children would like to choose their preferred outdoor space during breaks, whether they are terraces close to the learning spaces, school grounds or neighbourhood parks.
• Schools struggling with staff shortages may not be able to supervise students in multiple floors and the neighbourhood park during breaks.
• Read more:
  School playgrounds are getting squeezed: here are 8 ways to keep students active in small spaces

Keep talking to students

Vertical schools provide new opportunities and new challenges for the way students play and learn. My research shows the importance of including children’s perspectives in the initial stages of school design. While architects may offer innovative visions, they will not be the ones eventually using the spaces they create.