Learning spaces

Purposeful school design can support student learning and wellbeing. Aspect Hills Shire School is a new autism-specific primary school that opened its doors to students last month. In this photo story, Principal Shane Morris takes Teacher readers on a tour of the new school and its design features.

In Series 3 of School Assembly we’ve been following Dan McShea, Foundation Principal of Notre Dame College on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The P-12 college opens for the new school year in early 2025 – so it’s almost time for the keys to be handed over. In this episode we’re talking about the school building, landscaping and outdoor spaces.

School Assembly is the podcast series from Teacher that explores what it takes to build a new school from the ground up. In episode 5, we talk to Jo Camozzato, Principal of Bemin Secondary College, about the physical build at the dual campus site.

The design of 4 school buildings in Australia have been recognised in the shortlist of the World Architecture Festival. In this article, we’re going to take you through the designs, other highlights from the shortlist in the K-12 sector, and the winning entry.

The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects' (AILA) Landscape Architecture Awards celebrate the achievements and work of landscape architects. In today’s photo story we take a closer look at the award-winning landscape designs from schools around Australia.

Having access to outdoor spaces at school is great for break times, but it also opens up a whole host of curriculum-linked learning possibilities that extend beyond PE lessons. However, a new study from University of South Australia researchers has found schools may not be making the most of the outdoor areas they have when it comes to curriculum delivery.

How does the physical environment at your school impact the way you approach teaching and learning? In today’s article, we hear about Stonefields Primary School’s emphasis on vision and pedagogical alignment, the development of enabling architecture, impactful staff collaboration, and maintaining the learner at the centre of decision-making.

Researchers from the University of Queensland are determined to help teachers to improve the air quality in their classrooms, improve students’ cognitive performance and decrease the risk of contracting COVID-19 at the same time.

‘When you’re in a bush kinder, there are no gendered materials. Everything that’s there is for anybody to play with.’ Recent findings from a Deakin University study reveal that bush kinders can build children’s early confidence and skill development in STEM, especially for young girls.

To be fit for purpose well into the future, learning spaces within schools will need to be flexible. Two schools in Victoria, Australia, have recently undergone refurbishments to develop new, flexible facilities, and have both been recognised at the 2022 Learning Environments Australasia Awards.