When lots of people are playing and learning together in a comparatively small space, it can be exciting and inspiring. But it is also demanding and tiring. The noise level is high, and we are constantly bombarded with stimuli. Places of retreat are therefore a must. Especially in all-day schools, where people often spend seven to ten hours at a time together.
In all-day schools in particular, the day should therefore be broken down so that phases of exertion and of relaxation alternate in a rhythm. But even apart from of the “prescribed” breaks, people need places of retreat where the hurly-burly stays outside.
Not only children, but also teaching staff, need calm places in school, where they are screened from noise and visual stimuli. Places where body and mind can recover and relax. But also places that enable undisturbed and concentrated work.
Because stress can make us ill and unhappy. Children become inattentive, unsettled or aggressive – with consequences for their mental health and school performance. But many teachers also feel exhausted and overstretched.
How can such refuges be made? There are not always separate rooms available, which is why islands of calm often have to be designed within conventional rooms. Impossible? We don’t think so.