Mary Jackson, Learning through Landscapes (LTL)
Summary
Many schools are currently facing a number of challenges that put pressure on their grounds. Whilst the new curriculum requires more learning outside and research highlights the value of natural play and daily contact with nature, many schools face their grounds being reduced in size to accommodate new classrooms.
So how do designers meet the challenge of making the best of the outdoor spaces available to the school – enabling children and staff to make the most of every inch they have?
This workshop will focus on different ways schools and designers have met these challenges, looking at examples from schools in both the UK and overseas.
Biography
Mary has worked in an on school grounds projects for about 25 years – starting as a teacher before becoming a Chartered Landscape Architect. For much of this time she has worked for Learning through Landscapes (LTL) where she is now the charity’s Project Manager. Over her time with LTL she has worked with both schools and designers looking at how to make the most of their grounds. She was a contributor ‘School Grounds for the Future, designing school grounds’ published by the Department of Education and Skills and worked as an advisor for several successful BSF design teams. She is a co-founder of the International School Grounds Alliance and has spoken at conferences across the UK, Europe, North America and Australasia.