414
THE LONDON SCHOOL BOARD
COMPETITION.
THE PRUSSIAN SYSTEM.
S announced last week, the plans of Mr. Roger
Smith were selected for the new schools to be
erected in Johnson-street, Stepney. As Mr. Smith
has given considerable attention to the Prussian
system of school planning, and as his plans have, as
we think, deservedly won distinction, we gladly
reproduce them and the descriptive report which
accompanied them. The following is Mr. Smith’s
report :—
The design for the proposed school in Johnson-street,
Stepney, which it is the object of this report to describe,
has been prepared in conformity with the conditions
of competition enclosed by the Clerk to the Board in
his letter of the 14th of February, and the Emendations
similarly enclosed on the 20th March.
I have also been guided by letters received from the
Clerk to the Board in reply to my inquiries, and dated
the 20th of February and the 1st March.
In order to point out how these instructions have
been carried out, I propose to divide this report into
paragraphs, numbered like those in the printed con-
ditions, from 1 to 13; and to treat in each the subject
of the corresponding paragraph of those conditions.
The principle of class division in schools, sometimes
called the Prussian system, is carried out in Prussia, at
Berlin, for example, much as follows. The children
are entirely taught in class-rooms; the maximum
number recommended ina room is 60, 70 being con-
sidered an exceptional number. The class-rooms are
oblong; itis indifferent whether they be lighted from
the end or the side, but they must be lighted from one
side only, and the children must have the light on their
left hand. There seems no limit to the depth from
front to back of a block of seats, but the length of
each bench is so limited as to allow the master to
inspect eyery child’s work from the end of the bench.
For the purpose of facilitating this inspection, a gang-
way is preserved all round the block of children,
narrow at the back and at the side nearest the windows,
but made wide enough next the wall facing the
windows to be convenient for the ingress and egress
of the children; and the block of seats is broken up into
atleast two masses by an additional narrow gangway from
front to back. No child ought to be more than 50ft.
from the easel where diagrams, &c., are shown, and it
is recommended that, as far as possible, the seat most
remote from the window be not further from the wall
than 1} times the height of the top of the window
from the floor.
The master’s desk, on a slightly raised platform, -
faces the block of children; an easel for the display of
diagrams, &c., a book-closet, and the stove or fireplace,
occupy the space on either side of him.
These class-rooms are ordinarily put together so as
to form acompact oblong block of buildings several
stories in height, and are frequently divided on plan
into three portions by two staircases extending from
front to rear; one of these is for boys and the other
for girls. These staircases, howeyer, often occupy the
ends of the block, and sometimes a corridor connects
them together ; but this is sometimes omitted.
On an upper floor, and between the two staircases, is
placed the Aula, or general room, calculated to seat
about half the number of children proyided for in the
classrooms. This room generally receives some
amount of architectural decoration; it isnot customary
for it to be divided by movable partitions or other
means when not in use for collective teaching. Private
rooms for the teachers, and sometimes one or more
consultation rooms, complete the essential parts of the
building, which is heated and ventilated on a general
system.
It is recommended that as far as possible the class-
rooms shall have a sunny aspect, and also, to secure
greater freedom from noise, that as many as possible
of ee shall face the playgrounds rather than a main
road.
In designing a school for the Johnson-street site it
has been possible to follow this programme very closely.
It was manifest that the building ought to front to the
most northerly of the two proposed streets, so as to
be seen from Johnson-street, and also to secure sun-
shine for the playgrounds. This enabled me at the
same time to obtain a sunny aspect for the majority
of the class-rooms, and to make them overlook the
playgrounds. The great size of the general meecting-
room, which is to receive all the boys and girls, led to
my preferring that arrangement of plan which places
the staircases at the ends, and thus economises front-
age, and also led me to place this room on the first
floor, that it might equal the height of two stories. In
effect, this room is substantially a covered quadrangle,
with class-rooms round three sides of it, and having a
gallery of communication passing along one side of it
at the level of the upper floor.
T have arranged the entrances for the children so as
entirely to separate the three divisions of the school,
and have secured, without difficulty, that the class-
rooms of each division shall be on a separate floor, as
well as approached by a distinct entrance and staircase.
Ihave made half the number of the class-rooms side-
lighted and half end-lighted; the frontage (125ft.),
shown on the plan, enabling me to give the amount of
extension to the building required by the side-lighted
rooms. Were all the class-rooms end-lighted, the
building could be shortened by 2lft.; this would
involve a proportionate increase in its depth from
back to front, and an alteration of the dimensions of
the general room, but without modifying the principle
upon which the whole is arranged.
THE BUILDING NEWS. The school is designed for 1,080 children, as directed in the Emendations, in three equal departments, of boys, girls, and infants—namely, 360 infants on the ground floor, 360 girls on the first floor, and 860 boys on the second floor. The general arrangement of each floor is shown on the appended sketch-plans. The infant department on the ground floor has two class-rooms for 60 each, and a general room for the remaining 240, arranged in two galleries. The area of each class-room and of the general room is slightly in excess of Sft. per infant. These rooms are 14ft. high, the regulations of the Committee of Council requiring such a height for the school-room, and they supply 112 cubic ft. of air per infant in the school- room, and 126ft. in each class-room. It will be seen that the infants’ department is entered from the same side of the building as that for the girls, who often have infants in charge. A roomy porch and corridor give access to the infants’ school- room and the youngest infants’ class-room; the other one opens out of the school-room, In the class-room for the very youngest, a simple gallery is provided, roomy enough to contain all the children, A few small movable seats will also be required. In the principal school-room two galleries are provided, each affording room for half the number of infants, and in addition, seats and desks with slate tops are fixed round the walls, and a few moyable seats furnished. The class-room for the eldest infants is supplied with benches and desks. In each case there would also be the necessary teachers’ desks, easels, &c, The various conveniences described under section 5 are all pro- vided, and can all be reached from the entrance- corridor, without the smallest interference with any other department of the school. The boys’ and girls’ departments are arranged each for six classes of 60 children in a class (as directed by the Emendations). For these classes six class-rooms are provided on the boys’ floor, and five class-rooms and the general room on the girls’ floor. The area is 9ft. superficial for each child. Upon a careful examination of many different dimensions and proportions of rooms containing the required area, it appeared that a room 20ft. by 27ft. gives the best results, whether end-lighted or side- lighted, and whether seated for junior children at 18 inches per child, or for senior ones at 22 inches. These dimensions have accordingly been adopted throughout. Such a room, if 15ft. high, has its length, breadth, and height very nearly in the simple proportions—4, 3, and 2, and may be expected to be easy to speak and hear in. If end-lighted, it has room for a block of children, divided by a gangway up the middle, and consisting of five rows, each containing 12 children. If side-lighted, it is occupied by 7} rows of elder children, each containing 8, or by 6 rows of younger children, each containing 10. In all these arrangements a sufficient gangway all round, and a sufficient space for the master’s desk and platform, are preserved. In the absence of express directions, I have assumed that in each department three class- rooms would be occupied by junior and three by senior classes ; and I have placed the junior classes (in avhich the benches are shorter) in the end-lighted rooms, so as to secure that, in every instance, the most remote seat shall be as near as possible to the windows. The amount of light provided is, however, very ample, reaching the figure of 18ft. of window-area to every 100ft. of floor-area. In each class-room I have shown the platform, desk, and book-closet, and the spot for the easel; and I have shown an open fireplace, in case the Board proposes to retain this mode of heating. I propose that the lower portion of the walls be boarded and painted, and the upper portion plastered. The windows and other means of ventilation and the heating are described under paragraph 11. The general room measures 44ft. x 66ft., and is calculated to receive the whole of the boys and girls at one time—namely, 720 children, at an area of 4ft. superficial each. Its height is sufficient to give it a cubic capacity of 98,000ft. divided among 720 children, or 136ft. of air-space per child. Its dimen- sions are in the simple proportion of 3 to 2. Itis shown provided with seats sufficient to accommodate all the above-named children divided into blocks, allowing 14in. per child, and spacing the seats 2ft. din. apart. It is entered from both boys’ and girls’ staircases. One class is provided for, in con- formity with the conditions, in this room, and their seats and desks are placed immediately in front of the teacher's desk, and form part of the accommodation available for collective teaching; thus no remoyal of benches whateyer is needed to fit the room for being used as a class-room. In order to ensure privacy for the class thus taught, I propose to hang a curtain where marked on the plan to one of the principals of the roof. It will be possible to lower this curtain in a few seconds; and by curtains or shutters hung between the piers of the gangway on both floors, a very complete degree of privacy may be obtained with no delay. T have anxiously debated the advisability of sug- gesting some mode of appropriating this large space to the teaching of more than one class, and haye come to the conclusion that it is not desirable to make such a suggestion—first, because the instructions seem to limit this use of the general room to one class; secondly, because I cannot find that such a use of the Aula is common in Germany; and, lastly, because I cannot suggest any means of sub-dividing the room to which the following three objections do not attach. First, such sub-dividing expedients impair the useful- ness of the room for its legitimate purpose; second, they will produce class-rooms that are but imperfect in various respects, especially in the exclusion of sound ; third, the alteration of the room to class-rooms and
May 24, 1872.
back cannot be accomplished without more or less dis-
turbance, noise, and delay, and consequent infringe-
ment of discipline, considering the large number of
benches as well as partitions which would haye to be
moved,
Having decided to follow the Prussian model in this
respect, I have endeayoured to hit upon the least ex-
pensive mode of supplying an airy, well-lighted hall
centrally placed, accessible without difficulty or confu-
sion to both boys and girls, and have adopted the one
shown on the plan and already described. The gallery
which I have thrown across one side of this room, as
a means of access for the boys to their class-rooms,
would be suitable to receive a few visitors on examina-
tion days. This room, if it were thought desirable to
use it as a mustering-room, or in wet weather for drill,
might be easily divided midway by a curtain, and the
halves appropriated to boys and girls respectively, or
the entire room may be used for such a purpose by
either department of the school, if the spaces between
the columns, on the ground-floor gangway and the
first-floor gallery, be sufficiently closed, either by
curtains or by sliding partitions, to secure undisturbed
aecess to the class-rooms of either department while
the other has possession of the floor of the room.
No class-room is less than 13ft. high. Those
on the ground floor are 14ft., as it is necessary
to give a height of 14ft. to the infants’ school-
room on that story, in order to conform to the regula—
tions of the Committee of Council on Education.
Additional height has been obtained for the drawing-
class room, about to be described, and some others on
the topmost floor, by ceiling to the collars of the roofs.
An additional class-room, top-lighted, and with
shutters to the lower part of the windows, is provided
on the highest story, suitable fora drawing-class, some-
times of girls and sometimes of boys, in conformity
with the original instructions. This class-room is on
the floor appropriated to the boys, and is, therefore,
readily accessible by them. It is also placed at the top
of the girls’ staircase, which is continued up to this
floor for the sole purpose of giving the girls access to
thisroom. Iron gates suitably placed would be pro-
vided to prevent any improper use of this staircase.
Each of the three departments has separate out-
offices, approached in all cases by covered ways; laya-
tories, cap and bonnet rooms, entrances, and stone
staircases ; and I have provided for each department @
small cloak-room, with fireplace and lavatory, and one
or two separate closets for the use of the pupil-
teachers and certificated teachers. This, though not
named in the Instructions, will, I think, be found
requisite in such a building.
The boys enter from the opposite side of the build-
ing to the girls and infants, as will be shown by @
glance at the ground plan. Almost the whole southern
half of the ground floor is carried on arches and appro-
priated to a covered playground for the girls and
infants, a play-shed being provided for the boys; the
space ayailable has been divided as equally as was prac-
ticable inco convenient playgrounds for the children ;
these I should propose to pave with tar pavement, that
there may be no temptation to stone-throwing, asthere
might be were they gravelled. The out-offices, sepa~
rate for each department, adjoin the main building, so
as to be approached under cover. They are in each
instance open to the fresh air and abundantly lighted,
principally from the top. Those for boys and girls are
shown as enclosed, and with-doors, Those for infants
have divisions.
I should recommend for them either Maclarlane’s
apparatus or a simpler arrangement very similar in
principle, shown upon the drawings. I should, under
the circumstances, hesitate to recommend Moule’s
earth-closets. The lavatories, which ought to haye
plain enamelled basins in slate slabs, I have combined
with the cap and bonnet-rooms, so that the superin-
tendence of one monitor might suffice for each, In
each two doors are provided, to allow of the ingress
and egress of the children at separate points. A very
large lavatory is not required in a school of this kind,
but a considerable amount of hanging-space is desi-
rable; and by the arrangement of low open screens,
shown on the plans, I can provide, without impeding
supervision, a hook or peg for each child, and sufficient
space for a cap or bonnet, and a coat or cloak, The
lavatory and cloak-room of the infants is between their
school-room and playground; those of the girls and
boys are on the first floor, entered off the landings of
their respective staircases.
The staircases are to be of stone, with ample land-
ings, well ventilated and lighted from the top and
sides, and with high handrails, to prevent accidents.
In each department a master or mistress’s room,
with water-closet, is provided. That for the teacher
of the infants is on the ground floor adjoining
the separate class-room ; that for the head mistress is
over the girls’ entrance on the first floor, and
approached from the girls’ staircase ; that for the head
master is over the boys’ entrance, and approached from:
the boys’ staircase.
I have also provided a Board-room on the first floor
on the boys’ side, of suitable size (14ft. by 26ft.).
and shape. This room would probably be very useful
as a consultation-room and library, when not required
for board meetings.
A caretaker’s residence, of two rooms and necessary
appendages, with separate entrance and staircase, is
provided, and will be found over the infant teachers”
room. The caretaker’s stairs would be continued
down to the basement of the building, and would give:
him access to the heating apparatus and coal-stores.
The building is generally of three stories, but only
of two stories where the general room occurs.
The design has been made with a careful regard to
the requirements of the Acts regulating buildings im
