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Learning through Landscapes has been working with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) on a three-year programme called School Grounds of the Future.
One strand of the programme developed and tested the concept of using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a tool to map school grounds.
How did it work?
GIS is a software package that captures data that gathered from surveying - physical features, environmental data, satellite imagery or the demographics of a local area. The advantage of capturing the data electronically is that it allows the user to drill down into a range of data and analyse various aspects of the location.
GIS is now widely used in many industries and skills in GIS will become relevant in many careers and provide schools with a real time ICT project.
Who was it for?
The software used in the pilot was developed to be suitable for secondary schools and was trialled in three schools in England. It is hoped that the technology will be available to more schools and younger children.
Teachers and IT support staff were provided with training and each school was provided with six handheld personal computers with GIS software. This allowed students to walk around their grounds and plot features they found.
LTL worked with ESRI (UK) to develop the GIS software.
What should I do next?
The pilot has now ended so read the outcomes and recommendations in the final report here.
Start a similar project in your school! Join LTL to access specialist advice and support, the latest resources, case study information and to find out about funding opportunities for school grounds projects.
Programme Partners
The Department of Education and Skills (DfES) is the Government department for education in England. It was established with the purpose of creating opportunity, releasing potential and achieving excellence for all.
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