Frequently Asked Questions

Preparations for the upgrade

Q. How long prior to the start of demolition/upgrade will high schools be informed so they can pack up the learning spaces? Who is providing formal notification to schools?
A. School principals in identified schools will receive written notification from their regional School Education Directors about the Building Better Schools – Science project, stating the broad aims of the project for the school’s benefit. The notification will identify members of the project team who will undertake an initial site visit of the school and discuss the allocated upgrade for that school. Also included in the notification will be an invitation to attend a briefing session in their region. This initial communication will reach schools at least two weeks prior to the briefing session and scheduled visits.

Once the initial visit to the school has been undertaken and the school has agreed to the upgrade, a member of the Strategic projects team will negotiate a start and finish date with the principal.

Q. Since the project will involve demolition and other works of a noisy nature, why can’t the upgrades be completed during the Christmas vacation?
A. The project is being conducted in different regions at different times over the next 3 years. Where possible, some work may commence prior to the Christmas vacation. Work may also commence before other school holidays throughout the school year. It is anticipated that each phase of the construction will take between 9 -12 weeks per school. Schools need to suggest suitable times for consideration by the project team.

Q. Will the upgrades in each school be completed in the one time-frame?
A. Schools may decide that having their science learning areas unavailable for an extended period of time is unsuitable and prefer to have their laboratories upgraded in stages. However such a decision may extend the time frame for the completion of their upgrades.

Q. Will the main preparation and chemical store room be included in the upgrade?
A. The main preparation room will be upgraded as part of this project and will be include flexible storage facilities (e.g. a compactus) and a multi-level trolley as well as new cupboards, shelving, sinks, gas and water outlets and blinds for external windows. The chemical store is not part of this upgrade project.

Q. If we want to clean out the laboratories and preparation room, where do we throw out any rubbish?
A. The construction team will provide a container(s) which will be used to dump materials from each upgraded learning space. Teachers may also use this facility for the disposal of rubbish of a non-chemical nature.

Q. What will happen to any chemicals that the school has earmarked for collection and removal?
A. The school may have to contact their local properties officer if they wish to have chemicals collected and disposed of. In the meantime they should securely store the chemicals until they are collected.

Q. Are we allowed to keep some of the old furniture and storage shelves?
A. Those schools that wish to keep some of their existing storage facilities will need to relocate this furniture during the construction period. Schools may need to consider that the impact of bright, clean and new learning spaces may be diminished if old, scratched and unmatched furniture is placed back into these learning spaces.

Q. Will demountable science laboratories be provided to serve as temporary laboratories during the program?
A. Schools will not be provided with demountable facilities during the upgrade and will need to consider this when deciding on the schedule for construction.

Q. What if the principal does not agree to the designs provided?
A. The project team has been assigned specific designs for this upgrade and only these designs will be implemented in the upgrade. Principals may want extra time to consider the implications of any decision regarding the allocated upgrade for their school with their science head teacher.

Q. Are there are opportunities for minor site-specific variations to the design of the learning spaces?
A. Minor adjustments that do not affect the overall design of the allocated learning spaces will be taken into consideration during construction once they have been agreed to by all parties, included in the design and signed off.

Q. Who signs off on the designs prior to the commencement of the upgrade?
A. The Principal, science head teacher and project team will sign-off the designs for the upgrade.

Q. Who signs off once the upgrades have been completed?
A. The Principal, science head teacher and construction manager will sign-off that the upgrades have been completed in accordance with the signed off designs.

Q. How do I continue to provide access, as well as ensuring safe movement, for students with disabilities, during the upgrade?
A. The school will need to consider issues around access to and from classes for those students with disabilities.

The Curriculum

Q. What strategies need to be put in place to continue to deliver the curriculum during the upgrade– noting that Stage 6 courses require 80hrs of practical work and the junior science curriculum requires that 50% of class time is spent on practical activities?
A. Schools may need to consider the year level, the sequence of topics and the different types of science learning experiences that constitute practical work (see page 21-22 of the Science, Years 7-10 syllabus) that can be undertaken during the construction period to satisfy the syllabus requirements. Schools may wish to make use of classrooms vacated by Yr. 12 students if construction occurs during Term 4.

Q. What are some timetabling implications once the upgrade is completed?
A. Schools may consider timetabling each science teacher to the different learning spaces to facilitate flexibility of science lessons. Schools may also need to consider the allocation of classes to each line in the timetable to provide the flexibility of learning spaces to science teachers.

Q. Are the new data loggers and probes available through Technology 4 Learning (T4L)?
A. Data loggers and probes may be ordered individually or in sets, and will be available through the Technology for Learning (T4L) program. These integrated technology units provide students with internet access (either wireless or via a data point), spreadsheet, word processing and multimedia software, and use as a datalogger for capturing and analysing data during in-class investigations and those carried out in the field.

Q. Why do we have different learning spaces?
A. Different learning environments suit different lesson strategies and learning styles. Different learning environments increase the flexibility for collaborative and cooperative learning during scientific investigations where all students may or may not require access to gas and water facilities, but require flexibility of student movement.

Q. Why do we only have 8 work spaces in the Type 1 learning space?
A. The increased flexibility for students to ‘surround’ and be part of the investigation in Type 1 learning spaces reduces the need for extra gas and water facilities.

Q. What are the benefits of Type 2 learning spaces?
A. There are many occasions where investigations, modelling activities and demonstrations in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth and Environmental Science do not require all students to have access to gas and water at the same time. A Type 2 learning space:

enables the reconfiguration of furniture for a wider range of student-centered activities
allows for a smoother transition from one kind of activity to another
allows for differentiated activities within the one learning space and in the different learning spaces
provides freedom of movement and space when conducting practical activities where access to water and gas facilities are not required by all students at the one time

Q. Why do the learning spaces have areas with carpet and areas with vinyl?
A. Science laboratories can be quite noisy - the carpeted areas absorb noise thereby making the room less noisy; are warmer in winter. The vinyl and carpeted areas serve to delineate the different work areas - the carpeted areas enabling practical work that does not require gas and water access, such as microscopy work, examination of geological specimens and models, molecular modelling, circuit building and ray box experiments, teacher/student demonstrations, group discussions, etc. Industrial sheet flooring is more hard wearing and suitable for areas likely to be exposed to water and chemical spills.

Q. Are we allowed to rearrange the tables and chairs in the new learning areas?
A. The learning spaces have been designed to provide teachers with increased flexibility of student seating to accommodate different collaborative and cooperative learning strategies

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