Last week, we visited the Grundschule am Moor primary school, which opened its doors in 2023. A project close to our hearts that we planned and realised together with the school management and our partner GOLDBECK - always in close collaboration and with the aim of creating a school that supports educational concepts in terms of space.
Two years after its opening, the school building has long since been conquered by pupils and teachers. When visiting at lunchtime, there is a hive of activity between the four so-called mini-schools, the canteen and the open library, a centrepiece of the school. Located between the foyer and the administration area, it is used intensively as a place of retreat. Pupils in the reading corners, engrossed in their books - exactly how we had imagined it!
In conversation with the teachers, we learn more about everyday teaching in the mini-schools. The doors of the classrooms often remain open, so that a good overview is possible thanks to the many visual references to the inside and outside. At the same time, this creates an open, lively atmosphere. Inter-year learning takes place in the »large centre« of each mini school, equipped with flexible furniture.
We were particularly pleased with the direct feedback from the pupils in the third and fourth years. They showed us their favourite places: the cosy window alcoves, the school garden, the sports and gymnastics hall, the mini-school kitchens, the Lego table - and again and again: the library. Some of them even named their own classroom as their favourite place in the school.
Of course, difficulties were also openly discussed: the size of the tiling in the classrooms, closed toilets in the canteen area for supervisory reasons, restricted use of two stairwells due to fire safety requirements and acoustic challenges when the canteen is used as a double function room and dining hall during school hours.
We learnt a lot on this day - and on the way back to the office we are already thinking about which insights we should incorporate into the projects we are currently planning.
