Written Evidence Submitted by Architecture for Kids [CBE104]

Children, young people and the built environment Inquiry

January 2024

Award-winning Architecture for Kids CIC was founded to inspire and promote creativity and self-confidence in children and young people by engaging them in discussions about architecture, design, and sustainability. It offers hands-on problem solving and spatial programme, explored by sharing with children and young people knowledge about the built environment and the architect’s skills, through a process of conversation, site visits, drawing, and making – but always with the young person in charge of their own thinking and decision making.

Q: How do children and young people experience their built environment and what is the impact of this?

Soho Parish Primary School initiative and case study:

In order to highlight the need for children to experience the built environment as well as to emphasize the importance for governmental support/ action, please see Soho Parish Primary School case study with whom Architecture for kids CIC has been working in partnership since 2020 developing various architectural and built environment projects i.e. Soho Kids Xmas Lights, and Architecture and Design Awareness Workshops.

Soho Parish Primary School is a central London school located in the heart of the West End in Soho. Pupils at Soho Parish come from a wide-range of cultures and backgrounds and the school seeks to draw on this diversity of styles and influences in its arts curriculum.

Equality for all underpins all of the Soho Parish Values. It is very important to the School that all pupils achieve their potential, regardless of ethnic and social background. They ensure that the curriculum and texts reflect the beautiful diversity of society and particularly of their vibrant local area. They carefully monitor each child’s learning to ensure that all are able to access the curriculum and make best possible progress. This ensures that pupils from all groups and backgrounds receive an individually tailored programme.

Soho Parish Primary School caters for a range of special educational and disability needs (known as SEND). These may include speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum conditions, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, working memory and processing difficulties and emotional, social and mental health needs.

All children are different and teachers differentiate each lesson to cater to all learning styles and needs in their class.

The School actively promotes arts and cultural industries and provide opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and ability to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities. It provides arts and cultural provision within the curriculum and through extracurricular clubs, to support pupils to discover and to develop their interests and talents. It seeks to develop quality partnerships with organisations i.e. Architecture for kids CIC which will enhance the learning and opportunities for both pupils and teachers.

The value and impact of a broad arts and cultural curriculum is firmly embedded in the ethos of the school - its staff, pupils and governors. They are committed to CPD, to continue a high level of arts teaching and continued professional development.

The School takes advantage of its excellent location, regularly using the local area to support learning across the curriculum whether it is a local area walk to gather data in Geography; comparing photos of changes over time for history or sketching local landmarks in art and design. Children visit local businesses, galleries, theatres and cultural venues to enrich the curriculum during their 7 years at primary school. Due to the small size of the playground they use green spaces for wildlife investigations in science and for some annual sporting activities, such as Phoenix Gardens, St. James Park and Regents Park – and therefore:

- Year 4, the whole class relocate to rural Surrey for three days of outdoor learning, focused on geography skills (map reading particularly) but also to develop their independence and confidence;

- Year 6, pupils spend a week at an outward bound centre also in Surrey, learning co-operation, collaboration, field-work and developing their physical strength and agility;

- each class goes on at least one trip per topic, and often more. As well as finding ways to enhance the curriculum with external speakers, workshops or visits;

The Student Arts Councillors have worked in partnership with the London Transport Museum to develop a scheme of work for use by schools nationally. They have also worked with architects i.e. Architecture for Kids CIC, and at the National Gallery as pupils’ consultants to help redesign their new Learning Centre.

Contextual information: the need for governmental support/ action

For decades, public policy in England has failed to create places that support

children’s healthy development and wellbeing. In too many towns and cities, traffic-dominated neighbourhoods, low quality housing layouts, inadequate facilities, and poorly designed housing estates, along with a lack of parks and green spaces and other accessible high quality natural spaces, have harmed children’s health, and undermined their quality of life.

Key statistics:

 1/5 of UK population are under 18

 Children spend far less time outside than they used to

 Children play on their own street far less than they used to (80% in 1970s - 22% in 2022)1

 Children walk/cycle to school far less than they used to (86% in 1970 - 25% in 2010)2

 1,665 child pedestrians/cyclists (0-15) were killed or seriously injured in 20213

 30% of UK children live in areas with unsafe levels of fine particulates4

 Only 21% of children in England (5-15) meet official targets on physical activity (1hr/day)

 The UK has the second lowest life satisfaction of 15-year-olds across all OECD countries.5

Economic deprivation6 and racial inequality7 are both significant additional factors compounding children’s lack of access to outdoor play, physical activity and greenspace. There is also evidence to suggest girls spend less time outside playing than boys.8 Children themselves consistently say that they want to play outside more in their local area.9

24% of children would like to cycle or scoot to school. Only 4% actually do so.10

The physical built environment plays a significant role in children’s (lack of) access to outdoor space, play and active travel.

In terms of streets, parental concern about traffic danger11 is the main reason children are not given ‘license’ to play out near home or to walk/cycle to school12. This concern is based in reality – in 2021, 1,665 child pedestrians/cyclists (0-15) were killed or seriously injured on the streets.

Children are also prevented or discouraged from using other ‘doorstep space’ – for example on housing estates – due to both a lack of safe, accessible or suitable space and/or lack of permission to use the space outside their homes. ‘No Ball Games’ signs and culture are still prevalent in social housing schemes across the UK.13 Access to play space on mixed estates is sometimes segregated according to tenure.14

Where children have designated outdoor spaces locally - parks, playgrounds and sports areas - these may be difficult to get to independently due to traffic danger and are often unsafe or in bad repair15. Children are also often excluded from public space e.g. through anti-skating measures or ‘mosquitos’.

Q: How well are children and young people’s needs currently met by the planning process in terms of policy and guidance?

The child’s right to play: Article 31 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) requires the recognition of the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child; and to encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activities. It also covers children up to the age of 18, something which is rarely considered in facilities, guidance or play strategies.

Article 31 does not however create directly enforceable rights for children. This requires UK legislation. The effective implementation of Article 31 varies across the UK, with the Scottish and Welsh devolved governments going to greater lengths to enshrine the rights of the child to play when compared to the Westminster Government.

In Wales (Cardiff first UNICEF Child Friendly City 2023) and Scotland “Play Sufficiency” legislation forms a key part of this. There is no play sufficiency legislation In England. The view appears to be taken that for England the Article 31 right to play is sufficiently supported in relation to teenagers by section 507B Education Act 1996, which imposes on Local Authorities obligations to provide “recreational leisure-time activities” for young people aged 13-19.

Children are only mentioned once in the National Planning Policy Framework (in connection with assessing housing needs) and there is no national guidance on child-friendly design and planning. Children are not considered a statutory equalities group either in terms of considering their needs or consultation/involvement in decision-making. The impact of this is all of the above.

The focus of Architecture for Kids CIC work is on the right for children and young people to be heard, and to have agency in the shaping of the built environment appropriate to their age.

Soho Parish Primary School initiative and case study:

Pupil voice is very important to the Soho Parish Primary School - it was one of the objectives that they worked towards and achieved when receiving the Artsmark Platinum award in 2020. Some of the ways that they encourage pupil voice is through the following ways:

- Pupil councillor groups including faith council, Arts council, Eco council, school council;

- Arts councillors advocate for the arts and research ideas for our annual art week every year which they present at a staff meeting to teachers;

- The arts council have been pupil consultants for different projects including projects with the National Gallery and The London Transport Museum;

- Y5 projects with Architecture for Kids CIC (Architect Antonio Capelao) to redesign parts of the school;

- Soho Kids Xmas Lights Project 2021,2022,2023 (Architecture for Kids CIC) – all the school pupils enter the competition to design the Christmas lights for the streets of Soho, and the winning children help to curate the street lighting exhibition;

- Child focus groups for feedback on the curriculum;

- Child questionnaires;

Q: Where are the examples of policy and good practice that are improving children and young people’s experiences in the built environment?

In July 2023 Architecture for Kids CIC launched Architecture for kids podcast series hosted by architect Antonio Capelao, and co-produced by the Built Environment Trust, the Thornton Education Trust, and the Welsh School of Architecture Cardiff University, to bring together practitioners and creatives working with children and young people to inspire them to make the built environment more inclusive, diverse, and better suited for their needs and interests – link below:

https://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/built-environment-trust/architecture-for-kids-podcast

In episode 31 with Pihla Meskanen, Co-founder of Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth in Finland, and founder and CEO of Arkki International talks about the participatory design programmes Arkki has in place, since 15 years ago in Finland, as a result of the new building act and law issued in Finland in 2001 - stating that all citizens in Finland should be able to participate in the designing of their future environments. This encouraged the local governments interest to also involve children in participatory design processes - the architects working at Arkki facilitate these programmes to get the children’s views acting as intermediators between the city planners and the children.

More examples such as the above are mostly outside the UK in countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Germany all have relevant national policies and/or guidance, and at the municipal level, the cities of Milan, Barcelona, Freiburg, Ghent, Paris, Pontevedra, Rotterdam, and Tirana (amongst others) have all taken forward ambitious programmes.

A handful of relevant child-friendly initiatives have been taken forward by the Mayor of London, and in a few English local authorities, including Leeds, Hackney, and Newham. Unlike England, national governments in Wales and Scotland have relevant policies in place.

Some housing associations, architects, developers, and schools are also starting to lead the way in developing child-friendly spaces but this needs more support from national policy.

Soho Parish Primary School initiative and case study:

The School introduced an Arts Policy into school in 2020 as part of ensuring a high quality of practice is maintained within the school.

They use the seven quality principles set out by the Arts Council England in order to assess and raise our standards. They are:

Striving for excellence and innovation;
Being authentic;
Being exciting, inspiring and engaging;
Ensuring a positive and inclusive experience;
Actively involving children and young people;
Enabling personal progression;
Developing belonging and ownership;

The school particularly aims to be a local exemplar of strong arts and cultural education practice and to be a resource for other local schools looking to develop their arts and cultural education provision.

Q: Are government departments working together to address children and young people’s needs in this respect?

Architecture for kids CIC has been trying to engage with Planning Departments at Westminster and at The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council to set up a forum for children and young people to be heard, and to have agency in the shaping of the built environment appropriate to their age. However and despite several introductions to both departments by local Councillors, and the work Architecture for Kids CIC has been developing in London i.e. Soho Kids Xmas Lights in Westminster Council, to this date I never received an invitation to consider exploring the idea, not even from the local MP who I also wrote to in several occasions.

As well as the set up and running of the yearly Soho Kids Xmas Lights project in Soho (Westminster Council) every year struggles to get support from Westminster Council i.e. use of lamp posts in Soho in particular, and not to mention financial support from various funding bodies – link below about Soho Kids Xmas Lights 2023 project:

https://www.dezeen.com/2023/12/15/students-christmas-lighting-installations-soho/

In order to start creating an environment that meets children’s need for outdoor play, active travel, physical activity, community and connection with nature, a co-ordinated cross-departmental approach is needed.

Relevant policy areas include: housing, planning, local government, levelling-up, public health, transport, policing and climate/clean air.

Summary of key points

 Children and young people’s physical and mental health are in serious, long-term decline, exacerbated by multiple inequalities

 Children want to be outside and active, playing with friends, walking/cycling to school (and parents want this too) but face many environmental barriers

 Government policy to date has not addressed some of the root causes of this – and in some cases has added to the problem

 Everyday outdoor play and mobility = healthier, happier children

 The key factor enabling this is a good variety of safe, accessible, welcoming, stimulating spaces, on families’ doorsteps and within easy walking distance

 More child focused built environment policy could therefore transform children’s lives, health and well-being

 A co-ordinated cross-departmental approach is needed (planning, housing, transport, health)

 Examples of good practice exist in UK and internationally

 Effective, evidenced low-cost policies could be enacted almost immediately and would have significant impact

Conclusion

We are aware that our beliefs and opinions stem from our childhood, and are influenced by the developmental context in which we are brought up, and reinforced by peer groups and cultural influences – ultimately, influencing how we think of ourselves and the world around us. Therefore, if we want to change attitudes towards architecture and the built environment, and foster creativity and problem solving, we must focus on our children and young people.

Architecture for kids CIC seeks to highlight the way in which children and young people can become ‘active’ researchers, designers and makers through codesign, coproduction, and cocreation processes, as highlighted In the Architecture for Kids podcast series by the various practitioners and creatives interviewed who are working with children and young people to facilitate their participation in the shaping of the built environment and the creative industries.

Children’s needs in the built environment have been ignored by Government policy for too long, resulting in enormous damage to their health, happiness and wellbeing - and incalculable cost to society. Architecture for kids CIC and many organisations and experts can contribute to developing a new Government policy approach to children and the built environment, ensuring children can safely access the space outside their homes and across their wider neighbourhoods, giving them the free play, social contact, freedom, healthy development and physical activity they need and benefitting society as a whole.

Government policy to address this could include:

Quick/immediate:

 Clarification of national play streets legislation and procedural guidance so that all local authorities are encouraged to support resident-led temporary play streets

 Review and new guidance on measures that restrict children and young people's opportunities to play and socialise in public space (eg No Ball Games signs, ‘mosquitos’, anti-skating measures)

 Requirement for all registered housing providers to develop a proportionate, balanced approach to outdoor play following existing best practice

Medium-term:

 Revising National Planning Policy Framework to include requirements for planning applications to meet children’s need for safe, accessible outdoor space on their doorstep for active play and social connection.

 High quality guidance on child-friendly planning to sit alongside NPPF

 Requiring that children are considered a statutory equalities group in the planning process.

 Requiring that children are meaningfully involved in significant local planning decisions

 Child Impact Assessment as standard part of planning process

 A coordinated cross-dept approach to restoring children’s access to outdoor space, play and mobility (involving DLUHC, DfT, DHSC, DCMS)

 ‘Child-lens’ approach to transport policy ensuring safe streets in residential areas and around schools

● Public health and physical activity strategies prioritising children’s free outdoor play

Whilst none of these recommendations require any specific funding commitment, Government should also explore cost-effective, equitable ways to enhance the capacity and expertise of local authorities, and to secure additional funding for high-quality delivery (both capital and revenue) through developer contributions and other mechanisms.

Furthermore this Inquiry should also lead or consider an inquiry to the effectiveness of the current National Curriculum in England, as in the last 10 to 12 years state schools in England are being discouraged to teach creative subjects - schools in England have become robotic just churning out results to make sure they get funding for the following year, this means getting as many students as possible to pass in core subjects i.e. maths, English, and science, in order to get the funds to run the school, and as a result creative subjects are dropping down in state schools in particular – and creative subjects are key to the development and shaping of the built environment. There are very few state schools offering students the possibility to take on two creative GCSE’s subjects, and in some cases schools are asking students to choose their GCSE’s when they are in Year 8 (12 or 13 years old) which is inadequate as students are too young to make this kind of choices.

Therefore it is important to make the curriculum more enriched and creative – as it is the case with the National Curriculum in Wales - to equip children and young people with the skills required to live and work in the 21st century:

“CEOs surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers reported that as they anticipate an increasingly automated workplace, the human skills that they will most prize are ‘problem-solving, adaptability, collaboration, leadership, creativity, and innovation (PwC, 2018).”

“The natural and built environment offers an incredible learning environment to young people. By immersing themselves in their neighbourhood, they can understand complex challenges, articulate creative responses and build capabilities to actively engage in shaping their environments. The Architecture for Kids podcast series champions this idea, which is also at the core of the engagement strategy at the Welsh School of Architecture.”

Dr Hiral Patel, Director of Engagement, Welsh School of Architecture Cardiff University

A more creative and enriched curriculum approach with STEAM subjects explored through project-based teaching and learning focused on the built environment, will make children and young people aware of their impact and the impact the built environment has in their lives, this will contribute to a more diverse and inclusive society and environment(s).

Footnotes:

1https://static1.squarespace.com/static/609a5802ba3f13305c43d352/t/64ca676f4c818d6700d320ae/1690986358314/Street+Play+R eport+July+2023+Final2.pdf

2 https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/8z178/children-s-independent-mobility-a-comparative-study-in-england-and- germany-1971-2010

3 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/reported-road-accidents-vehicles-and-casualties-tables-for-great-britain

4 https://www.unicef.org.uk/publications/child-health-breath-of-toxic-air/

5 https://www.oecd.org/publication/pisa-2022-results/

6 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monitor-of-engagement-with-the-natural-environment-childrens-report-mene-2018-

2019

7 https://playingout.net/blog/playing-fair-how-does-race-affect-childrens-access-to-outdoor-play/

8 https://urbanspringtime.blogspot.com/2022/05/girls-in-public-space.html

9 https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-answer/

10 https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/news/2021/september/survey-reveals-just-2-of-uk-pupils-currently-cycle-to-school