As laptop computers and other portable equipment become more commonplace the space requirements for computing will come down.

Area and balance
• The overall area of schools will be higher than in the past.
• Flexibility is key to making efficient use of available area.

Schools in the future will be focal points for the whole community, providing learning in a variety of ways as well as other services. This is likely to result in an increase in the overall area. While the range of learning spaces will be broadly as now, there will be some changes in the balance of spaces. Accommodation will vary more from school to school, reflecting different approaches.
Building more than the required area will not only require greater initial capital expenditure, but will also lead to higher running costs, in terms of maintenance, cleaning and energy costs for the life of the buildings. In order to make the most efficient use of space, some areas should be designed for dual use. The number and size of spaces required will be determined by the number and age range of all users and a detailed assessment of the school's curricular and organisational needs (see Building Bulletin 82 for more guidance). It is important that all users and all activities are considered and individual spaces designed with flexibility in mind, as discussed above.
The main influences on the overall area and balance of spaces for a school for the future are summarised below.

Curriculum Changes
An increase in vocational courses is likely to have an effect on the area or balance of spaces in only some schools. Links between schools and other learning places will increase, allowing pupils whose school does not have specialised facilities to attend courses at nearby specialist schools, colleges or training centres, or to gain experience at places of work.

New Ways of Learning
An increase in independent learning will have an effect on the balance of spaces. There will be more open access resource areas and there may be more office space for additional support staff and visiting adults.

The differences between working and learning space is likely to become blurred. In the short term, an increase in computers could have an impact on area requirements but this is likely to decrease as portable equipment becomes more commonplace. There may be additional specialist resource spaces, for example for video conferencing.

Blurring the Boundaries
Having more people using school facilities during the school day is likely to increase the area required. Some individual spaces may be larger due to enhanced specification (for example, a sports hall to suit competition standards). Dedicated community rooms may be added to the range of spaces. Accommodation for services such as health care will be additional to the core school facility.
However, the pressure on area due to incoming learners should be balanced with the fact that there may be fewer pupils on site at any one time as they increasingly learn off site (see Section 1.2 on variety of learning experience).

Different timetabling arrangements such as staggered arrival and leaving times could also reduce the number of pupils on site.

Inclusion
Making schools more inclusive affects the overall area and range of spaces required in a number of ways. The need for additional adult support, whether from teachers, educational psychologists or social workers has clear space implications in the classroom and other areas. The following also have an effect on area:
• Increased movement space for pupils with physical disabilities, particularly wheelchair users;
• Additional specialist support spaces such as therapy rooms;
•Larger or more specialised toilet areas.

Building Bulletin 94 looks at the effects of inclusion on school design in more detail.