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Ministerial launch of DCSF/PfS guidance on Standard Specifications, Layouts and Dimensions (SSLD) for School Buildings

Building Schools for the Future is the biggest school building programme in generations. Key to its successful delivery are standardised approaches to everything from school toilets to lighting systems. The DCSF have worked with leading architects and designers to develop a suite of documents and are holding a major event with all the key players to launch the documents and explore the key issues.

The Schools Minister, Jim Knight, and the Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, Tim Byles, will deliver keynote speeches to officially launch this guidance. There will also be contributors from Buildoffsite, RIBA, CABE, NHS LIFT Programme, GlaxoSmithKline, Hampshire County Council and Skanska.

The aim of the SSLD initiative is to help disseminate best practice and avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ every time a school is designed, so that consistently high quality environments can be delivered, offering best whole life value for money - but without compromising design flair. Areas currently covered by the initiative include: partitions, floor finishes, design of toilets, lighting systems, roof coverings, stairways, doorsets, sprinkler installations and learning space dimensions.

Standardised approaches will also support the move towards more off-site construction, which should drive improvements in health and safety, reduce waste, and deliver quicker and more sustainable solutions.

The event will provide an excellent opportunity for delegates to hear and discuss the wider issues around: design standardisation in school building programmes; the lessons to be learnt from other sectors; strategies for encouraging uptake; and the likely impact on programme delivery, project costs and design quality.

Who should attend?

• School and local authority building clients
• Designers and other building professionals
• Contractors and LEP bidders
• Manufacturers
• Suppliers