Planning Aid sets site future at heart of school curriculum

Planning, 29 August 2008

Planning Aid North (PAN) is taking a national lead with its Planning Education for Young People programme. The initiative introduces planning into the curriculum of 50 primary and secondary schools with the aim of encouraging young people to contribute constructively to conservation, development and regeneration in their area.

Partnership is at the heart of the programme. Shiremoor Primary School in North Tyneside worked closely with PAN as it developed its forward-thinking programme and has now integrated planning across the whole school.

Through regular choices days, which focus on careers development, the school is introducing all pupils to planning issues and giving them the opportunity to contribute to their neighbourhoods and wider areas. A phased programme has been devised by PAN and the school's management, which is also providing supporting professional development for teachers.

A recent challenge day allowed the entire school to gain an insight into the local planning system and regeneration processes and contribute to the redevelopment of their school by taking a detailed look at proposals for the adjacent former library site.

Put together by PAN and delivered mainly by the class teachers, the challenge day looked at a variety of planning and sustainability issues with reference to a real site. Each year group was introduced to the basic principles of planning and then focused on specific topics. This approach allowed for a cohesive and dynamic outcome.

Pupils expressed and developed ideas and uses for the site and were encouraged to consider the needs of different members of the community. They were helped in their task by visits, photos and plans of the site. Each of the classes presented their ideas at the end of the day in a special school assembly.

During a further choices day next month, the pupils will be applying their urban design skills to look at issues and improvements for local estates. This will be followed by conservation studies in January.

Shiremoor's efforts were recently acknowledged nationally when a photograph of pupils at a PAN awareness event was used to illustrate the front cover of DCLG's PPS12 document.

Kevin Lillie is PAN's regional manager. For more information, please contact him on 0191 222 5776 or email ntco@planningaid.rtpi. org.uk.