Teachers air grievances as poll reveals disquiet over classrooms

The survey reveals teachers believe good ventilation, lighting and classroom layout are all vital in helping with teaching and learning.

Conducted by the Teachers Support Network and the British Council for School Environments (BCSE) with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the poll asked more than 500 school staff to rate how important they felt various aspects of their school buildings were.

The findings revealed that 25.7 per cent of staff thought the design of their school buildings was "poor" in providing an effective learning environment for students.

Almost all said a school's environment has an influence over pupil behaviour.

Among teachers' criticisms of their working environment was a lack of space for students to relax and a shortage of "exciting, flexible and appropriately sized" classrooms for pupils.

One teacher told researchers: "We currently have 250 more students in our school than we were designed to accommodate."

There were also concerns about toilet facilities, with one teacher saying: "Students are very vocal about inadequate toilet facilities, which makes them feel unrespected."

The survey comes just days after hundreds of teachers, pupils and parents descended on Parliament to protest against the Government's decision to axe the 55bn Building Schools for the Future scheme. More than 700 schools have seen their projects cancelled as a result of the decision by Education Secretary Michael Gove, left, who later came in for criticism over his handling of the situation after it emerged that the initial lists of affected works were strewn with errors.

Six education authorities in the region have been affected by the cuts: Bradford, Doncaster, Kirklees, North East Lincolnshire, Rotherham and Wakefield, with a total of more than 80 school rebuilding schemes scrapped.

BCSE chief executive Ty Goddard said: "The survey shows school

environments matter. Money invested in school buildings is an investment in teachers and children, not a wasted luxury.

"We need professional environments which support our teachers to do

their jobs."