How School Spaces Shape Student Health and Wellbeing

When we think about the things that determine how a student’s day will go, we’re often drawn to the obvious. We discuss curriculum standards, the calibre of the teaching staff or that most recent technology installed in classrooms. These are the fundamentals of education, and they damn well should be the focus.

But there is a whole silent world of influences, dutifully unheralded. These are the meat and potatoes places that students inhabit.

A school’s design is more than brick and mortar. It’s a vessel for growth, socialization and protection. When a building is designed to feel intentional, it can foster a feeling of belonging. When it’s enfeebled, it can generate pockets of stress in a very indirect way.

How often do we think about the effect on a teenager’s mood of windowless corridors or crammed locker space?

One of the most important, but least talked about, aspects of this physical environment is communal space—well, particular spaces used to conduct private and hygienic activities.

Creating a Sense of Safety

To a child or a teenager, the school day is an all-day triathlon of social navigation. They’re constantly on stage, whether they are responding to a question in class or trying to find a place at lunch. Accordingly, the demand for private spaces in which data can be stored is one of the highest priorities.

If a student doesn’t perceive that their physical privacy is respected, they can become more anxious.” And that’s the point. Their lack of a clear headspace is transferred to the classroom.

I recall the whir of my laptop at midnight as I looked up how much these small environmental factors really weigh on a student. It’s more than we think.

This is the minutiae of facility management. It’s a small logistical matter, but in the end, selecting the correct partitions for school restrooms becomes a question of student dignity. If these spaces are clean, durable and only truly private, they sent a message that we as an institution value their needs. It eliminates a potential source of social friction and replaces it with a baseline of ease.

The Psychology of Shared Spaces

Many students’ social learning is at its most acute in the shared spaces of a school. It’s where friendships are made, and social hierarchies tested. But these communities can also be sources of intimidation.

So, what does it take to make a space feel safe?

A thoughtfully planned hallway or a well-lighted, open cafeteria can deter negative behaviors by being attractive and visible. The idea is to make the space feel looked after.

There is a concept in psychology called “broken windows theory,” which posits that visible signs of neglect encourage further neglect — or worse, misconduct. In a school context, that means every chipped tile or broken door is a cue. On the other hand, when a building is kept to high standards it says to students, you are in an environment of respect and order.

I mean, it’s the vibe of the place.

Designing for Inclusivity

Both the challenges and benefits of inclusion are hotly debated in contemporary education, even though it’s more likely to be hashed out in terms of funding than space.

Real inclusion is every student, regardless of their background and physical capacity, is able to move throughout the school facility with ease and confidence. This calls for a reconsideration of how we organize our physical spaces.

There are also broader changes, such as wider hallways, accessible entrances and common areas situated in a thoughtful way — all seemingly designed to promote a school culture that says the feeling here is welcoming; everyone belongs. It is about dismantling the physical barriers that might make a student think: ‘I am an outsider.’ When we put an investment into a school’s infrastructure, we’re investing in the social fabric of the student body.

We need to stop thinking of our hallways as corridors and long runs, and start looking at them for what they finally are.

The Relationship of Comfort to Academic Performance

It is hard to grasp complicated mathematical equations or analyze a piece of literature if you’re physically uncomfortable.

And the temperature of a room, its lighting and even its acoustics all influence how information is processed. Other studies suggest that natural light can boost mood and concentration in addition to fatigue from poor ventilation.

We too regularly expect students to be able to bounce back and adjust. Do we really want to ask them to try even harder to be heard in a poorly designed room? It just does not get any more stupid than denying the obvious.

A warm and welcoming classroom environment is a tremendous driver of student’s engagement. It removes friction and cognitive overhead from learning, so students can focus all of their mental efforts on the content.

Maintenance as a Form of Care

Ensuring the sustainability of a school is huge work..’ It takes a professional staff of people who recognize they are part of the educational mission.

Each fix that is put in place and each surface that is made clean empowers the teachers, students and school community who work inside them. If a school looks good, there’s a sense of pride among the community. Parents feel more comfortable dropping off their children there, and teachers more professional in their workspace.

This creates a vicious circle. Well-maintained clean space, better behavior and easier to keep.

The Role of Community Feedback

One of the most effective ways to make sure a school’s physical environment is designed for its users is to ask those users.

Students often have a very different view of the building than the administrators of it do. They understand which hallways are crowded, and where it feels unsafe or that neglect has crept in. Have we ever really stopped to ask a room full of middle school students which part of the building they feel the most stressed?

Empower Students Schools can empower students by involving them in a conversation about their environment. It makes them feel empowered and shows them that they can have an impact on the world around them. Projects such as murals in a common area or a student committee to focus on facility improvements can help transform a building into a community.

And that’s the point. They care more about what they help build.

Looking Toward the Future

If we are to focus our gaze forward in the world of education, let’s keep that physical pulse beat on our schoolhouses. The world is changing, and our buildings must change with it.

This entails adding sustainable materials, adaptable learning environments and a resurgence in focus on individual well-being.

It’s simply, the room is also a silent teacher. It speaks to students every day about who we are and want them to be. By creating such safe, inclusive and beautiful spaces in which to teach them, we’re giving our students the best chance they have at success.