Great Ryrie Primary School

GREAT RYRIE PRIMARY SCHOOL’S NEW INNOVATIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Embracing the challenge of creating learning environments relevant to the future, Great Ryrie Primary School approached Pretect to replace their traditional classrooms with more meaningful learning spaces. The brief called for adaptable spaces to support the focused, collaborative, and social learning inherent in their curriculum.
Pretect’s response combined these elements around a modern learning hub, within a 21st Century modular building, complementing the school’s existing aesthetics.

Four flexible, interconnecting General Purpose Learning Areas that can be reconfigured via operable glass walls allow for different teaching and learning approaches. Individual and small group sessions, withdrawal areas and spaces for specific learning programs can all occur simultaneously within the naturally lit environment.

These internal areas are connected via a Central Learning Hub, which can be modified according to the desired learning outcome. It efficiently accommodates varying group sizes and activities, while still providing the “quiet spaces” expressly called for in the brief. A large central storage space is also housed in this area, freeing classroom space and reducing the disruption of student movements during on-task activities.

A Staff Planning and Office area situated at the end of the building facilitates the school’s collaborative teaching practices and also doubles as a private interview room for teachers, parents and visiting consultants. A cleverly positioned Data Wall Display in the planning room gives teachers live monitoring of student progress and planning feedback, while preserving student privacy.

Two new Outdoor Learning Areas, accessed directly from the Central Learning Hub have been created. These provide for current educational and personal development programs and give DDA compliant, undercover access to the main school building, library, admin spaces and toilets.
Pretect also revamped the adjoining playground area and its equipment. A carefully considered landscaping design included the relocation of play equipment to separate active from passive play areas and improve playground supervision.

An extensive project like this, of course came with its challenges. Demolition of an asbestos-contaminated building was required on another area of the site so Pretect scheduled this and other site preparations during a school holiday break. Fitting a new building into a tight space adjacent to existing buildings was expertly achieved via the use of Pretect’s modular building expertise and design.

With Pretect’s attention to planning for the school’s needs, along with the rapid time frame of a modular build, disruption was minimised. Life at Great Ryrie Primary School continued, as normal, while Pretect transformed into reality, their plans for a significantly improved teaching and learning environment.