Using a unified school database to understand the effect of new school buildings on school performance in England

Schools are complex systems with an important function in society, namely educating the future generations. As such, it is important to understand whether the built environments provided are assisting this educational process. This study used available data to create a database to evaluate the new buildings built under the Building Schools for Future programme by the British government, using them as a case study to determine whether there was any significant improvement in attainment and absenteeism. It was found that many schools improved in the two years prior to and immediately after the move to the new building, but any improvements in attainment continued only to the third year of occupation, following which it deteriorated considerably. The internal environment and the BREEAM ratings were also analysed, finding no significant overall relationship to the attainment. Further detailed studies need to be carried out at the school level to understand how the changes in school performance occur and how this relates to the built environment, whether the physical environment and design are affecting attainment.