This 2 day event will bring the Scottish education built environment and policy professionals together from early years, schools, colleges and universities.

The conference will address pivotal topics inlcuding; School buildings have not fundamentally changed over the last 120 years, Will we need schools in the future?  Can we do it differently and improve the outcome? How can school buildings meaningfully improve attainment? How will the fast moving pace of IT impact on pedagogy and school buildings?

Director Alex Donaldson leads Scott Brownrigg’s Edinburgh office and has over 20 years’ experience in design, masterplanning and facility transformation, with a track record in managing large scale infrastructure projects in the transport, emergency services and education sectors within both the UK and International markets.

Alex has delivered over 100 education projects and has previously advised the Scottish, Welsh and UAE Governments on their future learning environments programmes. Alongside fellow specialists, he is playing an active part in the Scottish Government and SfT working group exploring the Learning Place of the Future.

Alex commented on presenting:

“The conference is an initiator of so many things and it will be great to participate in forming the agenda for the conference. It genuinely feels like we have begun to grapple with some of the fundamental issues and perceptions which currently limit how we create meaningful and sustainable learning places. With so many education thought leaders participating, it’s really not about showcasing, the event will be an opportunity for us all to listen, learn and contribute.”

Day 1

Director Alex Donaldson will be presenting at the conference on Day 1 on the ‘Rising Rolls Programme – “Fast Response” School accommodation.’

Rising Rolls are a perpetual challenge for local authorities across the country, particularly in areas of high population and growth, but also in rural areas where the dynamic demands agile solutions. It is essential that children are provided with learning spaces of the highest quality and given the pace of change, are procured and delivered in seemingly ever decreasing timescales.

The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) have taken a very proactive stance on addressing the issue, but with primary school rolls currently projected to continue to rise, to a peak of nearly 31,000 pupils by 2019, there is still a lot more work to be done.

Scott Brownrigg’s Education team has had an instrumental input in developing Rising Rolls schools designs since becoming involved with CEC, Hub South East and Galliford Try/Morrison almost 4 years ago. The secret to the success of this exemplary initiative has been largely founded on strategic commitment, real community engagement and early supply chain inclusion. This approach has ensured early certainty, enabling a concept to completion cycle in under a year.  Furthermore the designs have continually improved and developed from Rising Rolls 2 through to Rising Rolls 6 around a series of adaptable principles. In their own right the designs present themselves as continual test bed for Scott Brownrigg research and development, and the designs have been utilised by other Local Authorities as a high quality, market tested, quick to procure solution.

Day 2

On the second day of the conference Alex shall Chair the discussion ‘Getting it Right for all Children and Young People’.  A key feature of this year’s inaugural conference is the focus on Education for all. Karen Quin from the Care Inspectorate and Richard Teed, Falkirk Children’s Services will be presenting and discussing a range of issues revolving how we form and respond to the requirements of their learning communities, whilst also providing a specific insight in to the design process, choices made and reflections of the pupil and staff in the first few months of Carrongrange High School.

The Education Buildings Scotland Conference will be opened by John Swinney, Scotland’s Minister for Education.