school design

9 Aug 2021 |

Create a preschool that delivers what parents want

How do you create a preschool that delivers what parents want? This question lead us to look into several aspects of creating a preschool.

Walking around any residential area in any city in India, one is able to spot at least half a dozen pre-schools or billboards advertising preschools. How well are they able to deliver what parents need? And how well do they understand their roles as the bridge to primary education? And most importantly, how well are they able to deliver on the promises they make.

What do parents want?

What parents want out of preschools is very different from what they want in a regular school. Their focus is more on child safety, hygiene, social interaction and play.

Take care of my children
My child should feel safe
My child should want to go to school
Children should be engaged
Children should be engaged with several different activities
Learn how to appreciate everything
Children should want to learn
Children should be excited about their day and school
Children should be happy to tell us about their day in school
Want a safe environment to grow

Encourage my child to be curious, to learn
Build the confidence of my children
Instil curiosity and want to learn
To be able to ask questions
To be able to think independently
My child should be able to express himself well
My child should make friends
Children should learn how to interact with others
My child should learn how to play with others
Help children develop emotionally and socially
Help my child express himself

Fun, clean safe
Welcoming and an open mindset to make children comfortable to foster creativity!
Making children learn and have a POV on the alphabet

Safety first (sending my child to someone with trust), teachers should be friendly with us and have to be guardian to the kids
Basic entertainment without screens like dance, playing, little bit learning
Fun and social interaction

Over the years we have seen multiple versions of such statements researching and understanding parents looking for a preschool to enroll their children. And, of course we have spent several years creating schools that promise these and deliver them. It is a layered understanding of creating a right balance between target parent requirements and the needs of a 21st century education.

At the outset parents will look for safety of their child and the convenience of the school location. From that starting point the rest of the statements become differentiating factors in determining the right school for their children. This differentiation between schools is often layered with how the schools speak about themselves, what the parents see and what they hear from other parents about the school.

Some of these observations are conscious, others subconscious.

Are the spaces safely designed? Are they welcoming, are they engaging? Is there diversity?
Who is in the school? Do the teachers and the head of the school inspire confidence in their ability to take care of my child?
How does the preschool acknowledge my child is special? Is the school geared to give adequate attention and care to my child

What makes the preschool better suited to the needs of each child?

It is not possible to address all individual needs of parents as often they can be contradictory.
E.g. Some parents will want a digital element in the school others will want nothing to do with it

Importance of research

When we partner with clients, our projects often involve local area research. We delve into requirements such as these and identify the higher level needs of parents. Only by understanding where the requirements of the parents are coming from can one seek to fulfil them effectively. And as a result serve the needs of the larger target group. Often there are instances where parents need help in managing the behaviour of their children and this help comes from the environment set up in the school.

New entrepreneurs often identify one set of parents and build a school around their needs. Sometimes it is the needs they missed when they sought a preschool for their children. In other instances it is the perceptions of their peer group. It runs the risk of being a limited view. When preschool-teachers set up the school, they may have a great academic plan but will miss out on the administrative or operational efficiencies. Each of these runs the risk of resulting in a siloed view of the needs of the market.

We have created such an appropriate environment across diverse geographies. We are quickly able to understand the root solution that will address diverse needs of parents. We are also able to define the linkages between these solutions and the school brand, vision and mission.

Our approach is to help the entrepreneur articulate their vision of the school and map out how best it suits the market requirements. We then draw inspirations from developments in the sector across the world. For our projects we need regular interactions with architects, designers, academic counsellors, school founders, teachers, parents and vendors. This means that we have a continuously updated list of vendors and school needs. We also have a historical perspective on what worked and what didn’t. That allows us to deliver insights quickly.

A school where a child is safe, happy, socially comfortable and learning/developing according to their age. The ability to deliver this, to deliver the high level requirements of the target parents and to pull the triggers will enable those parents to see value in the school promise. That will result in the success of the school.

Over the years, Newton Schools has provided services as project consultants in developing the school concept, marketing strategy and the financial projections. Such engagements begin at the concept stage when the school is an idea and perhaps even the land has not been acquired. We have also worked in already initiated projects as academic/management consultants defining the curriculum, the teacher training and recruitments. And in other projects as management consultants building a bridge between school owners and everyday operations of schools.

Post to follow: Approaches to early years education.

Pragyanam

Pragyanam is a CBSE K-12 school that been founded by IIT-IIM alumni, same group as Footprints Childcare. In the last six years, Footprints have served over 12000 parents, across 80 centers in India. ‘Pragyanam’ which means wisdom or understanding in Sanskrit, has been founded on the core belief that the objective of learning in the 21st century is to raise mindful, conscientious individuals who root for competence over competitiveness and aspire to live a life of happiness and fulfilment. Pragyanam has developed a “No-Limit Curriculum” where subjects are used as a medium to develop life-skills.

Newton has been engaged as consultants for the development of the school. In addition to guidance on design and planning of the school, Newton has also executed the interiors of their facilities in DLF Phase 2 and in Sector 65, Gurugram.

Project Start Date: 01 Jan 2018
Project End Date: Ongoing

Project details

Website: pragyanam.school

24 Dec 2020 |

Furniture for today’s classroom

Today’s learning environments are evolving to keep up with the changing environment and technological advancements. All the new-age schools require classrooms that foster collaboration and creativity among learners.

More and more schools are integrating technology in the classroom but this also means classrooms must now be equipped with specialized furniture to accommodate the changes.

Here are a few furniture ideas for today’s classroom that will provide an ideal learning environment for learners to thrive and grow.

Collaborative & Flexible Furniture

Traditional classrooms are equipped with static desks and chairs all facing the same direction. There is also a blackboard placed behind the teacher’s desk. Classrooms with this type of layout aren’t ideal for group activities. It makes it tedious and time-consuming to arrange desks and chairs for group interactions.

Today, collaboration is crucial in a learning environment. In the future, when learners apply for jobs they’ll be expected to be able to work in variable teams. Working collaboratively in school will help a child interact, communicate, and find solutions to problems while working with others.

By making them modular, the desks can be used for variable sized groups and for multiple applications. Collaborative furniture such as light movable desks, desks, and chairs with wheels, integrated with power outlets, and round tables. Schools can implement modular adjustable desks with comfortable seating. This will create learning experiences suited to their tasks or projects.

Tech Integrated Furniture

School curriculums are changing to adapt to the changing technological needs. Due to the pandemic, remote learning has proven to be accessible for all learners. Now, through laptops/tablets/computers classes can be accessed and through interactive software, homework can be submitted.

To prepare learners for the future, classrooms need to be technologically integrated. Tech-integrated furniture will help learners explore new avenues of learning with a better engagement of learners. Multimedia tables, desks with power outlets, etc can easily integrate with tech learning solutions. Storage cupboards with charging docks.

Engaging Furniture for Learners

When learners spend most of their time sitting on static desks and chairs in the classroom, chances are that they have very little interaction and engagement. But studies have shown that new-age schools that have adopted flexible furniture, have shown a positive impact on learners’ overall engagement, creativity, and motivation. Learners need classrooms that inspire them, help them express, share ideas, and be comfortable enough to stay attentive throughout the day.

Engaging furniture such as soft seating, cushions, mobile chairs, and niche seating creates, portable boards and storage units, can make the classroom experience more engaging.

17 Nov 2019 |

21st Century Classroom Furniture

While setting up a new school not enough effort is devoted to the selection of appropriate furniture. One suited to design & function. In a traditional school, it consists of a standard set of desks in a limited set of sizes. Progressive investors, who value open classrooms, understand the value of planned furniture. The lack of choices hampers their decision.

So what about furniture? Age appropriate and comfortable. While selecting products labelled ergonomic, it is important to understand how? How is the shape of the furniture suited to children or teachers? Children should be able to sit comfortably for long durations, able to see appropriate presentation/discussion areas. Furniture must be safe, no sharp edges, splinters, nails or spaces. Children injure themselves with these. Furniture manufacturers must use safe materials, paints, plastic. The decision makers must consider the certifications of the furniture manufacturer. Give preference to an accepted standards agency.

Classroom furniture is a teaching tool that allows the learning to be student-centered. Inquiry based learning, experiential learning or project based learning are pedagogies supported in a 21st century classroom. Furniture can also play a role in supporting innovative curricula. The furniture should be adaptable to varied layouts. Furniture that facilitates collaboration, communication, traditional discussions and presentation. It must be multi-function. The product brochures illustrate the various applications of the product in a classroom. Do those arrangements suit the specific curriculum plan for the school. Furniture can separate spaces, create corridors, niches and other informal spaces for study and discussions.

Open classrooms serve as multi use spaces. They are expandable to create larger areas through movable partitions and glass walls. They suit traditional lecture style classrooms and modern group activities. Likewise furniture should also be easily movable. Some of it should be movable by the children themselves. Modular so that you can add more without any aesthetic changes. E.g. it should be possible to arrange the desks for a group discussion or for individual work.

Projects or inquiries are an integral part of the innovative classroom. Students need display areas and storage for these. This must be of 2 types, one that is accessible by students and one that has restricted access. This requires close collaboration & planning with the class teachers or the curriculum head. Furniture can help group cohesion, communication and collaboration.

The best designed and safe furniture is available from several manufacturers in Europe. Most come highly recommended. We believe in them. They meet high standards of quality and have delivered for several years. In doing so, they have often backed new designs with research to have a sort of mastery over their products. In general, the workmanship is of a high quality and these come with a warranty of performance. Cost can often be a constraint. Suppliers are provide better rates with larger orders. This may not always be possible.

Often the next resort is China. Suppliers who have a wide array of products that also suit the school needs. They may not have the design history but have delivered over time. This is also a viable solution. Manufacturers in China deal in large volumes. They have greater experience and better craftsmanship. My advice. If you cannot find a local vendor who can support you, travel to China yourself. Do not pick the cheapest option available.

The first concern should be of the materials used in manufacturing them. The best way to check this would be to check the standards they meet. Second, are there moving parts that will need replacement or repair? Will they be available to you locally at reasonable prices? What is the cost of the product after considering shipping & freight? Taking care of these concerns should ensure the right decision.

There are local manufacturers who produce reasonable quality furniture. Our clients have had varied experiences. Some have easily met their requirements at reasonable costs. Others have been somewhat satisfied, others found them too expensive. The proximity of the local manufacturer and the higher engagement helps. Clients sometimes are not able to find all their solutions in one place. There is flexibility in dealing with local manufacturers. Less concerns of the availability of local parts and servicing.
The last option is of local fabricators to replicate the furniture design. This is acceptable for simple cupboards or lockers but not for specialized furniture. The first concern is of craftsmanship, it is not easy to get the finish one gets in a factory produced goods. There is a limit to the guarantee a craftsman can provide. It’s difficult to have standardized parts. Each servicing or repair option will be a unique request. Key intricacies of the product design can lost. And as a result the functionality. The substitute material used is manufacture can influence the outcome. It is more difficult to set a budget at the outset. On occasion this can become the most expensive option. We recommend this option to our clients when there is control on input material, design and cost .

We understand that based on the situation different options will suit the clients. We ensure that the clients weigh all these options. That their frame of reference has the stakeholder requirements and the school curriculum.

A classroom that fulfils these criteria, blends with the school design concept and has colours that helps children channel their attention is one that is for a 21st century school.