356
SEACOX HEATH.
dj bees mansion, which is now being completed for
the Right Hon. G. J. Goschen, M.P., from
the designs of Messrs. Slater & Carpenter, is situated
at Seacox Heath, in Sussex. Itis built of the stone
found on the estate, and roofed with green slates.
The hall and drawing-rooms have parquetry floors.
The ceilings of the principal rooms are in carton
pierre. The illustration of the hall shows it as
originally proposed, but the upper arcades have been
carried out in oak instead of stone, and the coloured
decorations are not yet carried out. The terraced
gardens are being laid out by Mr. W. Brodrick
Thomas. Messrs. Punnett, of Tonbridge, are the
contractors for the general work.
inns
PLANNING AND FITTING UP SCHOOLS.
HE following rules to be observed in planning and
fitting up schools, considered in reference to
schools of large size to be erected in London, were
approved by the London School Board on the 24th
April :-—
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
In planning a school-room and the necessary class-
rooms, the accommodation depends not merely on the
superficial area, but on the relations of the class-rooms
to the general room, their shape, the positions of all
the doors, windows, and fireplaces, and the arrange-
ment of the galleries and groups of desks.
As the contemplated use of a building must always
govern its plan, the system of teaching contemplated
by the New Code, 1872, must first be considered.
This (a) divides all schools (above the infant stage)
into six grades or “standards,” probably commencing
at the age of six and a half to seven, and corresponding
generally to six successive years.
It contemplates (b) that the number of children to be
taught by a certificated teacher, assisted by one pupil
teacher, shall be 60. That for every additional 40
children there shall be an additional pupil-teacher.
And that for every additional 80 children the increase
of teaching-power may be either one assistant certi-
ficated teacher or two pupil-teachers.
As experience has shown that the separation or iso-
lation of classes in separate rooms has an important
bearing on results, the lessons contemplated under the
six standards should, as far as practicable, be taught in
separate class-rooms., But, as each school is under the
general supervision of one master or mistress, this
principle must, in some degree, be subordinate to the
necessity for such supervision.
In preparing plans it is necessary, always, to con-
sider not only the teaching power required and the
most convenient provisions to be founded thereon, but
also the annual working cost involved throughout,
and, therefore, to provide for the use of such materials
and modes of construction as are not liable to involve
frequent repair. Under this head, the method to be
adopted for warming and ventilating will require
special consideration.
For the sake of conyenience, in any group of schools,
six-fifteenths of the children may be considered as
belonging to the infant department, five-fifteenths to
the junior department (three first standards), and four-
fifteenths to the senior schools together (three highest
standards). The calculation assumes that, in London,
the infants will pass to the graded schools soon after
the age of six. (c)
The site (2) must contain, according to the code (un-
less the price of land is very high), not less than 1,200
square yards, and must be quiet, healthy, and conve-
niently near the children’s homes. In tenure, freehold.
GENERAL BUILDING RULES.
1. No iron or wooden buildings can be approved.
2. The whole of the external walls of the school and
residence, if of brick, must be at least one brick and a
half in thickness throughout. If of stone, at least
twenty inches in thickness throughout.
3. The walls of every school-room and class-room,
if ceiled at the level of the wallplate, to be not less
than fourteen feet. If ceiled to the rafters and collar
beam (as in the case of the top story), they must be at
least eleven feet high from the floor to the wallplate,
and at least fourteen feet to the ceiling across the
collar beam.
4. The window sills should be placed at a height of
at least four feet from the floor. The heads should not
be much below the line of ceiling. A large portion of
each window should be made to open. The upper
portion is best. Asa general rule, clear glass is best
for schools, All windows facing towards a street or
otherwise exposed to stone-throwing should be covered
externally with strong wire. The precise amount of
window-surface and its distribution will be governed
in some degree by the aspect.
5. Framed and movable wooden partitions should
not be generally used between school-rooms and class-
rooms unless made double with a clear space between
(a) New Code, page 7, par. 28,
(b) New Code, page 7, par. 32 (c).
(c) The Government Statistics of the whole of England
show for every thousand children an average of the fol-
lowing numbers, viz.:—Between 3 and 4 years of age, 111;
from 3} to 4, say 55; from 4 to 5, 110; trom 5 to 6, 105;
from 6 to 7, 103; from 6 to 64 or 6} to 7, say 52; from 7 to
8, 100; from 8 to 9, 98; from 9 to 10, 96; from 10 to 11, 94;
from 11 to 12, 98; from 12 to 13, 90.
(d) New Code, page 18, par. 29.
THE BUILDING NEWS. of six inches to stop noise. They should be hung from the top on large wheels. No complicated machinery or gearing likely to get out of order can be allowed. 6. Class-rooms should be on the same level as the school-room, and should never be passage-rooms from one part of the building to another, nor from the school-rooms to the playground or yard. Asarule, they should be entered from the general school-room, and the upper panels of the doors should be of clear glass for purposes of supervision. 7. Water-closets, and the approaches thereto from the school, must always be separate for the sexes and for infants. Their best position is outside the school, and approached (where practicable) by a covered way. The number should never be less than two to every hundred children. They must be sub-divided, having a door and light to each sub-division, and be of the simplest possible construction, with ample provision for flushing. Their arrangement in a straight line is best. The drains therefrom must be carefully trapped. There should be a separate water-closet for the master or mistress. 8. The porch must be external to the school-room. 9. The lavatories should not be outside the building. They must be supplied with cold water only, and the basins should be numerous, or much time will be lost after an interval of play. About four to each hundred will generally be found sufficient. 10. The cap and bonnet-rooms should be separate for each school, and should have two doors, one for ingress, the other for egress, to avoid confusion. 11. A manager’s room should be provided for each group of schools. 12. There should be three playgrounds wherever the size of the site will permit. But in the case of sites of limited sizes the infants and girls playgrounds may be in one. Occasionally the infants’ playground may be formed under some part of the main building, but always on a level with the ground, Playgrounds should be properly levelled, drained, enclosed by walls, and laid with tar pavement, asphalte, or other material, to ensure dryness. 13. The principal entrances should be kept as far apart as possible, and, where the site has more than one frontage, the boys’ entrance should be from a different street. Each entrance should be marked by 1fame, as “boys,” ‘ girls,” or “infants.” 14. Staircases should always be of stone or other fireproof material, and should be separate for each school. But for purposes of management, there should either be facility of passing from one school to the staircase of another, or, where this is impracticable, an entirely separate staircase for managers only. 15. The buildings should be designed with regard to the Metropolitan Buildings Act, 18th and 19th Vict. cap. 122, and to the requirements of the Metropolis Local Management Act and Amended Acts as to lines of frontage, &c. 16. In height, they should not, as a rule, be less than two stories, and should exceed three stories only in extreme cases. e 17. It will generally be found necessary to provide a caretaker’s residence of not less than two rooms appli- cable to the whole group. 18. It is not desirable that, in new schools, any of the boundary walls should be party walls. 19. The words *‘ School Board for London. Public Elementary School. [Name.]” should be placed ina permanent and legible manner on the face of each school-house. INFANT SCHOOLS. 1. An infant school should always be on the ground floor. 2. It should never be without a playground of at least 25 superficial feet to each infant, of which a por- tion must be covered. 3. It is not desirable that, in London, any infant school should be organised for less than 120. The maximum number may be taken as 240. And, where the number rises above this, there should be more than one infant school. 4. In every case there should be two class-rooms, one for babies, and another for the most advanced infants. Up to 120, these should be arranged for about 30 each. In the case of a school of maximum size, there should be a third class-room of larger size, and the two smaller class-rooms should then be capable of being thrown into one. In consideration of the noise caused by infant teaching, there should be no sliding or wooden partitions in infant schools other than those necessary for throwing two class-rooms into one. 5. The widths hereinafter laid down as the best for graded schools do not apply to infant schools. 6. The fittings should always comprise two galleries of unequal size. No gallery in a class-room for infants should hold more than 80 to 90. The large gallery in the school-room should be capable of accommodating the whole of the infants at one time, for collective teaching. The class of adyanced infants will require a small group of benches and desks. The advanced class should have a cupboard for books, &e , about 6ft. high. 7. The area of the school-room and class-rooms together shall be in all cases not less than nine super- ficial feet for each infant. GRADED SCHOOLS. 1. In arranging a school for children of seven years and upwards, the junior mixed school should embrace standards one to three, and the senior schools three higher standards. In point of number any multiple of thirty, thirty-five, or forty will be found most conye- nient.
MAY 3; ote.
2. Each school (whether junior or senior boys or girls) should have a general school-room for the assem- blage of the whole at one time, calculated at four feet superficial per child, or more according to circum- stances. - 8. Each school of the largest size should have two double® class-rooms, calculated at eight to nine feet superficial per child, and each class-room should be grreneed with sliding partitions so as to be sub-divisible into two. Where fewer class-rooms are provided, the total area of school-room and class-rooms together must not be less than ten feet superficial per child. And the school-room should then be provided with a sliding partition for sub-division. 4. Where practicable, there should be an additional class-room of large size available for use sometimes for boys and sometimes for girls, and provided with a top light or highly-placed windows so as to be suitable for a drawing class. It should have proyision for placing casts, sculpture, &c. 5. The best width for the general school-room is from 18ft. to 22ft. (This contemplates three rows deep of benches and desks ranged along one wall.) _ Five rows deep of benches and desks are allowable in aclass-room. The lighting should, if possible, be chiefly from the side. 6. Generally an allowance of 20in. on each desk and bench will be necessary, otherwise the children will be cramped in writing. The lengths will, therefore, be as follows, viz.:—For four children, a length of 6ft. Sin. ; for five, Sft. 4in.; for six, 10ft.; for seven, 11ft. Sin. ; for eight, 13ft. 4in. For senior classes the provision should be 22in. The depth should not exceed five rows, except in the case of galleries for collective teaching. Junior schools should haye at one end of the general room a gallery for collective teaching, capable of accommodating one half of the school at a time. Also provision in benches and desks for a double class of sixty to eighty. Senior schools as a general rule do not require the gallery. Benches and desks are required for all the children, and they should be of various heights according to the varyingages. The desks should be very slightly in- clined, and the seats should have backs. It is not necessary to fasten the fittings to the floor. They should be either placed on slightly-raised platforms, or (if made to moye on castors) should themselves be graduated. Each of the six classes (or standards) should have a cupboard for books, &c., about 6ft. 6in, high. SCHOOL RESIDENCES. In cases where the erection of a residence for the master or mistress has been determined on, it should contain a parlour, a kitchen, a scullery, and three bea- rooms, of not less than the following dimensions— viz. :— (a) For the parlour............ 12ft. by 12ft.
of
(b) For the kitchen.... dat ld Sy 2 LO)
(c) For one of the bedrooms 12 ,, 10 superficial
(d) Fortwoother bedrooms 9 ,, 8
(©) The height to be in no case less than Sft. to wall
plate, if ceiled at the wallplate ; or 7ft. to wallplate}
and 9ft. to ceiling, if ceiled to the collar.
The residence must be planned so that the staircase
should be immediately accessible from an entrance-
lobby, and from the parlour, kitchen, and each bed-
room, without making a passage of any room,
Each bedroom must be on the upper story, and must
have either a fireplace or proper provision for ingress
and egress of air.
The parlour must not open directly into the kitchen
or scullery.
There must be no internal communication between
the residence and the school.
There must be a yard, with offices separate from the
school premises,
PLANS REQUIRED.
The following plans are required in each case, to-
gether with one copy of each, on tracing calico, to re=
main at the office of the Board. The dimensions of
the several parts must be figured, and the respective
scales strictly adhered to in the drawings :—
1. A block plan of the site, drawn to the scale of
20ft. to an inch. This plan should show :—
(a) The position of the school buildings.
(b) The outbuildings.
(c) The playgrounds.
(d) The teachers’ residences, if any.
(e) The drains (collateral and main), with their fall
and depth below ground.
(f) The provision for removal of surface water.
(g) The entrances.
(h) The boundary walls, their nature, and the kind of
property adjoining. _
(i) The streets or roads.
2. Ground plans drawn to the scale of Sft. to one
inch, showing each floor of the school-rooms and
teachers’ residences (if any). The internal fittings of
the school-rooms (fireplaces, groups of desks and
benches, cupboards, &c.) must be accurately shown.
3. Elevations of each front and at least two sections.
The ceiling, and the mode of warming and ventilation,
must be clearly shown.
4. A specification of the work, detailed for the several
trades.
5, A general estimate of cost.
