Our Learning Spaces

The most common question we are asked at the moment is about the classroom environments and whether we will have "Open Learning Environments" or "Open Barns" in our new school.  We know that there has been negative press about this style of learning space in the past, with the main fear being that there are too many students, children will get lost in the system and that they are noisy, distracting and chaotic.  The truth is, that with intentional design, clear and deliberate systems and structures - these spaces respond to and are more inclusive to a personalised model of learning than the traditional "single cell" classroom with one teacher and 30 students. But they must be strategically planned for and deliberately designed to meet the needs of ALL ākonga (learners), kaiako (teachers) and whānau.

As you can see in the floor plan below, our classrooms are shared/collaborative spaces.  They have been carefully designed to minimise noise and distraction, while allowing maximum flexibility in their use; including spaces within spaces and generous breakout rooms for quiet work when needed.  Alongside the design of the spaces in each learning environment, we work with our kaiako to intentionally build a collaborative culture, and systems for working together that will ensure we can utilise the strengths of each teacher to meet the individual needs of learners.  Learners and their families will therefore have the opportunity to build relationships with, and learn from, a range of teachers in ways that best suit their own interests, personality types and learning styles. 

As educators, we firmly believe that with careful planning and consideration, the opportunities and benefits that come with innovative learning environments such as ours, far outstrip any perceived or potential challenges.

However we know that seeing is believing!  We encourage you to come and spend time in our spaces and see them in action for yourself.