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Acoustic testing for schools to be compulsory
16 October, 2009
Deaf charity welcomes government plan to require testing for new schools built under Building Schools for the Future
Acoustic testing of new schools will become mandatory under a package of measures announced by the government today.
In a ministerial statement Vernon Coker, minister of state for schools and learners, said that acoustic testing will become a contractual requirement for all new schools built under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. In addition, any local authorities who have already constructed schools with BSF funding will need to provide proof that the most recent school complies with acoustic standards before further funding is released.
The announcement is seen as a breakthrough by the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS), who has been campaigning for better acoustics in schools. Brian Gale, director of policy and campaign at the society said: “Evidence shows that good acoustics can also help improve the learning and behaviour of all pupils, and reduce health problems for teachers. They are nothing less than essential for deaf children the majority of whom are now being taught in mainstream schools. We welcome the government's commitment to take action as a result of our Sounds Good? campaign to ensure new schools cater for the needs of deaf children.”
A survey carried out by the NDCS earlier this year found that only one in five local authorities could confirm that their new buildings met the standards on acoustics.
The government will now write to every building control body in England and Wales reminding them of the importance of acoustics and of the need to ensure the proper process is followed for the use of alternative performance standards. The Department for Children, Schools and Families will also publish a design practice note for architects, builders and schools which details the importance of good acoustics in schools.
It was also announced that a public consultation will be carried out next year on an updated version of Building Bulletin 93, the design guidance covering acoustics in schools.
Readers' comments
Designing quality learning environments is all very well but when new build costs had to be reduced acoustics was one of the first things to suffer. This is great news for teachers and students and should ensure that modern schools are comfortable environments that aid rather than prevent learning! Will Benger Acousti Pro
Well, yes, something we've lamented on these pages before: http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=3142437 With BB93 we have all we need to make classrooms work far better for those who will hopefully succeed us. But if the design teams say “why, we didn’t need to do that on the last school” or if the Building Control assessor doesn’t step in where it ain’t gonna to work (an important imperative that Part E sets in place) then we stand every chance of failing again. An remember that most of us only ever go to one or perhaps two secondary schools in our life, it’s not like an unfriendly mall that makes us shop elsewhere or an unpleasant place of work that you move on from eventually. If we get one school wrong, we scupper the chances of a lot of young people.
Congratulations to the NDCS on a high profile and successful campaign! I am delighted that testing will become mandatory as this has long been one of the major flaws within BB93 and, as others have pointed out, acoustics is directly related to learning outcomes for all children.
Next step perhaps needs to be a closer look at whether the BB93 criteria adequately serve "vulnerable listeners" in mainstream education and not just in "rooms specifically for use by the hearing impaired"?
Great news for acoutics - but probably the bigger issue that is never tested and would make a huge impact on CO2 reduction is DAYLIGHT and the relationship of daylight and artificial light. It's in the Building Bulletins and tacitly referred to in the Building Reg's but most new schools fail and all you see is lights left on all the time as not only is the daylight design poor but the understanding of how daylight and artificial light interact is also poorly understood.
If it is the case that acoustic testing is mandatory only for the purposes of obtaining BSF funding for the next school, then this incentive doesn't really go far enough. I would suggest that it needs to be a Building Regulations requirement (as opposed to a BB93 recommendation) to capture all new schools.