Case studies
Portslade School, Brighton and Hove
“Portslade Infant School is a four form entry infant school. We traditionally ran four reception classes where every teacher endeavoured to provide the children with rich learning opportunities outlined in Early Years curriculum. But the learning environment didn’t support our new vision for Teaching and Learning, so we embarked on a project, inspired by ‘Communicating Friendly Spaces’. Supported by Elizabeth Jarman Ltd we designed a new learning environment for the children in our reception classes comprising of two units for four classes and a zoned outdoor area.
The units were split into sensory and exploratory areas, complimented by an outdoor environment that runs parallel to the indoor learning. The colouring, lighting and furnishing chosen create a very natural and calm atmosphere.
This design has allowed the children to choose how and where they like to learn, having free flow to all areas while working independently and facilitated appropriately by adults. Personalised adult-lead group work is also complimented by the environment, as the adult and the children can choose where this learning is to take place and where it may be most successful.
This was an ambitious project and is one that is still evolving as the staff needed a lot of support to move away from teaching in isolation within own classroom to teaching as a team across units and outdoors.
We have extended the curriculum into our Year 1 and Year 2 classes by planning for the indoor independent learning environment and the role of the adult as a facilitator."
Dawn Oliver – Headteacher