The School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967

Statutory Instruments

1967 No. 1199 (S. 103)

EDUCATION, SCOTLAND

The School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967

Made

3rd August 1967

Laid before Parliament

16th August 1967

Coming into Operation

18th August 1967

In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by sections 1(2), 19(1), 19(2), 76(1) and 144(1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1962(1), and of all other powers enabling me in that behalf and after causing a draft of the regulations to be published and sending a copy thereof to every education authority and having regard to the representations made, in accordance with section 144(2) of the said Act, I hereby make the following regulations:—

PART I INTRODUCTION

Citation, commencement and revocation

1.—(1) These regulations may be cited as the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967 and shall come into operation on 18th August 1967.

(2) The School Premises (Standards and General Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 1959(2) are hereby revoked.

Interpretation

2.—(1) The Interpretation Act 1889(3) applies for the interpretation of these regulations as it applies for the interpretation of an Act of Parliament.

(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, references to any act or regulation shall respectively be construed as references to that act or regulation as amended by any subsequent act or regulation including any act or regulation substituted for that act or regulation.

(3) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, references to a regulation or to a table mean respectively references to that regulation of these regulations, or to that table in these regulations.

Definitions

3.  In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—

(1) “Act of 1962” means the Education (Scotland) Act 1962;

(2) “approved” means approved by the Secretary of State;

(3) “ancillary accommodation” means all accommodation excluding educational accommodation;

(4) “boarding accommodation” means a building or part of a building in which pupils attending a school are boarded;

(5) “daylight factor” means the ratio of the illumination, including light reflected from interior and exterior surfaces, at a given point inside a building when measured on a horizontal plane at that point, to the illumination simultaneously existing on a horizontal plane under an unobstructed sky having a luminance distribution in accordance with the definition of the International Commission on Lighting (C.I.E.) for a standard overcast sky;

(6) “educational accommodation” means all the internal space so designed as to be suitable for educational purposes, including accommodation for assembly, dining, study, guidance, musical and dramatic activities, baths and accommodation for physical education, playroom accommodation in nursery schools, accommodation provided in association with the foregoing for the storage, preparation and maintenance of educational apparatus, equipment and materials, and shower and changing rooms;

(7) “school” means a public school or a grant-aided school, but does not include an approved school within the meaning of the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937(4), or an independent school;

(8) “school building” means

(a) a building in which is given primary education or secondary education, or both primary and secondary education, and “primary school” and “secondary school” shall be construed accordingly, or

(b) a building in which a nursery school or a special school is housed, or boarding accommodation is provided, or

(c) a pavilion or other building provided in connection with playing fields;

(9) “special school” means a school for the provision exclusively of special educational treatment, and does not include a child guidance clinic or an occupational centre;

(10) “stage” means one of the stages described in Regulation 14 of the Schools (Scotland) Code 1956(5), and

(11) “teaching space” means a space (other than any assembly area, lecture hall, theatre or cinema) so designed as to be suitable for teaching purposes.

Words and expressions which occur both in these regulations and the Act of 1962 have otherwise the same meaning as in that Act.

PART II GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Approval of sites

4.  Proposed sites for school buildings or playing fields or for extensions to existing sites, school buildings or playing fields shall be subject to approval by the Secretary of State before acquisition of any land therefor and applications for approval under this regulation shall be submitted to the Secretary of State in such form and manner as may be prescribed.

Approval of proposals for school buildings and playing fields

5.  Except in such cases as may be prescribed, proposals for new school buildings, for playing fields or for extensions or alterations to existing school buildings or playing fields shall be subject to approval by the Secretary of State and applications for approval under this regulation shall be submitted in such form and manner, and shall contain such particulars of the works proposed to be carried out, including plans, specification of works and details of costs, as may be prescribed, and, except in such cases as may be prescribed, no works shall be commenced before proposals therefor have been approved.

PART III STANDARDS

1. Sites

Interpretation of Part III

6.—(1) In regulation 7 the area of a site for a school and any extension thereof shall exclude any area calculated in accordance with regulation 8.

(2) In regulation 8 the area of a site for a playing field shall exclude any area calculated in accordance with regulation 7.

(3) Any area calculated in accordance with regulations 7 and 8 shall exclude any part of a contiguous public road or footpath or any ground unsuitable for the purposes of the school or playing fields which would otherwise be part of the site.

(4) In regulations 9 to 13 inclusive, “area” means the internal space in square feet calculated by measuring from the internal faces of external walls to the centre line of internal walls and partitions.

Sites for primary and secondary schools

7.—(1) Every primary school shall have a site of not less than the area specified in Table I according to the number of pupils for which the school is designed except where the provisions of regulation 7(6) apply.

TABLE I

Number of pupils	Area (Acres)
25 or less	¼
26–60	½
61–140	1
141–315	1½
316–450	2
451 or more	3

(2) Every secondary school shall have a site of not less than the area specified in Table II according to the number of pupils for which the school is designed except where the provisions of regulation 7(6) apply:

Provided that where the number of pupils is less than 320, the area of the site shall be such as may be approved in each case.

TABLE II

Number of pupils	Area (Acres)
320–500	4
501–750	5
751–1,000	6
Each additional 100 over 1,000	½

(3) Every nursery school shall have a site of not less than the area specified in Table III according to the number of pupils for which the school is designed except where the provisions of regulation 7(6) apply.

TABLE III

Number of pupils	Area (Acres)
40 or less	¼
41–80	½

(4) In every nursery school where the number of pupils is greater than 80, the area of the site shall be such as may be approved in each case.

(5) The area of the site for a special school or for a building for boarding accommodation or for a school providing both primary education and secondary education shall be such as may be approved in each case.

(6) Where the Secretary of State is satisfied that it is impracticable or would be unreasonable to apply the standards prescribed in this regulation to a particular school building, the area of the site for that school building shall be such as may be approved.

Sites for playing fields

8.—(1) Every primary school shall have available and in close proximity to it playing fields not less than the area specified in Table IV according to the number of pupils for which the school is designed except where the provisions of regulation 8(4) apply.

TABLE IV

Number of pupils	Area (Acres)
60 or less	¼
61–140	⅓
141–315	¾
316–450	1
451 or more	1½

(2) Every secondary school shall have available to it playing fields not less than the area specified in Table V according to the number of pupils for which the school is designed except where the provisions of regulation 8(4) apply:

Provided that where the number of pupils is less than 320 the area of the playing fields shall be such as may be approved in each case.

TABLE V

Number of pupils	Area (Acres)
320–500	4
501–750	6
751–1,000	8
Each additional 200 over 1,000	1

(3) Every school providing both primary education and secondary education shall have available to it playing fields of an area such as may be approved in each case.

(4) Where in any case the Secretary of State is satisfied that it is impracticable or would be unreasonable to apply the standards prescribed in this regulation the area of the playing fields shall be such as may be approved.

2. Educational Accommodation

Educational accommodation in primary schools

9.  Every primary school shall include educational accommodation of not less than the area specified in Table VI according to the number of pupils for which the school is designed:

Provided that in every primary school where the number of pupils is less than 25 or more than 630, the area of educational accommodation shall be such as may be approved in each case.

TABLE VI

Number of pupils	Area
25–89	1,520 square feet plus 33 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 25
90–239	3,700 square feet plus 22 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 90
240–279	7,050 square feet plus 19 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 240
280–314	7,800 square feet plus 46 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 280
315–329	9,410 square feet plus 46 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 315
330–439	10,100 square feet plus 26 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 330
440–629	13,000 square feet plus 21 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 440
630	17,000 square feet

Educational accommodation in secondary schools

10.  Every secondary school providing courses for pupils at all stages of secondary education shall include educational accommodation of not less than the area specified in Table VII according to the number of pupils for which the school is designed:

Provided that the area of educational accommodation shall be such as may be approved in each case in every secondary school—

(a) where the number of pupils is less than 320 or more than 1,800, or

(b) which does not provide at all stages for pupils of all abilities (excluding those requiring special educational treatment) in the locality which it serves.

TABLE VII

Number of pupils	Area
320–454	31,000 square feet plus 78 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 320
455–674	41,500 square feet plus 32 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 455
675–894	48,500 square feet plus 43 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 675
895–1,114	58,000 square feet plus 64 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 895
1,115–1,559	72,100 square feet plus 42 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 1,115
1,560–1,669	90,800 square feet plus 89 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 1,560
1,670–1,799	100,600 square feet plus 22 square feet for each additional pupil beyond 1,670
1,800	103,440 square feet.

Educational accommodation in schools providing both primary and secondary education

11.  Every school providing both primary and secondary education shall include an area of educational accommodation as may be approved in each case.

Educational accommodation in nursery schools

12.  Every nursery school or room for the nursery class in a primary school shall include an area of educational accommodation as may be approved in each case.

Educational accommodation in special schools

13.  Every special school shall include an area of educational accommodation as may be approved in each case.

3. Ancillary Accommodation

Kitchen premises

14.—(1) In every school other than a nursery school or a school to which the next following paragraph applies, there shall be available sufficient and suitable kitchen premises for the preparation, cooking and serving of meals and for washing up.

(2) Where arrangements have been made for the preparation and cooking of meals elsewhere than at the school, sufficient and suitable accommodation shall be provided at the school for the serving of the meals and for washing up.

Sanitary accommodation for pupils

15.—(1) In every school sanitary accommodation shall be provided for the pupils by appliances on a scale not less than that specified in Table VIII:

Provided that in every school which is not designed exclusively for girls half the accommodation shall be for boys and not more than one third of the appliances for boys shall be water closets and the remainder shall be urinals, each 2 foot length of urinal being counted as one appliance for the purposes of Table VIII.

TABLE VIII

Number of pupils	Number of appliances
Every 15 pupils up to a total of 60	2
Every additional 30 pupils up to a total of 300	2
Every additional 60 pupils over 300 pupils	2

(2) In every school providing for pupils beyond stage P IV in the sanitary accommodation for girls there shall be suitable provision for the disposal of sanitary towels.

(3) In every school every sanitary appliance or group of sanitary appliances shall be situated near to a wash basin or wash basins.

(4) In every school every water closet shall be provided with a lockable door and with a partition sufficient to secure privacy.

Washing accommodation for pupils

16.  In every school washing accommodation shall be provided for the pupils by wash basins on a scale not less than that specified in Table IX.

TABLE IX

Number of pupils	Number of wash basins
The first 30 pupils	4
The next 30 pupils	4
Every additional 30 pupils up to a total of 300	2
Every additional 60 pupils over 300 pupils	2

Accommodation for staff

17.  In every school accommodation including cloakroom and sanitary accommodation shall be provided for the staff.

Medical inspection and rest room accommodation

18.—(1) In every school suitable accommodation shall be available for the conduct of medical inspection of pupils under section 58(1) of the Act of 1962 unless, in the exercise of the powers conferred upon him by paragraph (1) of Regulation 8 of the School Health Service (Scotland) Regulations 1947(6), the Secretary of State has approved the conduct of medical inspection elsewhere than at the school. The accommodation for medical inspection shall include a water closet and a wash basin with separately controlled supplies of hot and cold water.

(2) In every secondary school and in every school providing both primary and secondary education there shall be available accommodation suitable for use as a rest room which shall be adjacent to a water closet and a wash basin with separately controlled supplies of hot and cold water.

Storage accommodation

19.—(1) In every school, in addition to storage provided in association with educational accommodation, there shall be sufficient accommodation for the storage of apparatus, books, stationery, materials, furniture, equipment, and fuel.

(2) In every school there shall be suitable facilities for the hanging and drying of pupils' outdoor clothing and for storing pupils' belongings.

Outdoor educational and recreational areas

20.  At every school there shall be provided immediately adjacent to the school building an outdoor area or outdoor areas laid out and surfaced for educational and recreational activities.

4. All Premises

Lighting

21.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this regulation, in every school building the lighting, both natural and artificial, of each room or other space shall be appropriate to the purpose for which the room or other space is provided.

(2) In all educational accommodation the level of maintained illumination on the plane at the height of the top of the desk or at such other height from the floor as may be appropriate in the circumstances shall not be less than 10 lumens per square foot.

(3) In all teaching spaces the minimum daylight factor on the plane at the height of the top of the desk or at such other height from the floor as may be appropriate in the circumstances, shall be 2 per cent:

Provided that where lighting is provided by a combination of daylight at less than a 2 per cent factor and a form of permanent supplementary artificial lighting, the daylight factor, the level of maintained illumination and the form of permanent supplementary artificial lighting shall be such as may be approved in each case, having regard to the normal use of the room.

(4) In any teaching space no part of any light fitting (or mirrored image thereof) having a maximum luminance greater than 1,500 foot-lamberts or an average luminance greater than 1,000 foot-lamberts, shall be in such a position as to be visible to any pupil or teacher working in the teaching space in a normal position within an angle at the eye of 135 degrees from the perpendicular from the eye to the floor.

(5) So much of the light emitted from the light fittings shall illuminate the ceiling and upper parts of the walls as is necessary to prevent excessive contrast between the fittings and their background.

(6) In all educational accommodation and kitchens, there shall be adequate provision for protection against glare from the sky and the sun.

(7) In this regulation the words “light,” “illumination,” “lumen,” “luminance” and “foot-lambert” have the meanings attributed to them in the Glossary of Terms used in Illumination and Photometry, published by the British Standards Institution.

Ventilation

22.—(1) Every part of the school building shall be provided with means of adequate ventilation, having regard to the use for which it is designed.

(2) In every kitchen and in every other part of the school building in which there may be steam or fumes, adequate measures shall be taken to limit condensation and to expel noxious fumes.

Heating

23.—(1) The heating system in every school building shall be such as to secure that, when the outside temperature is 0 degrees centigrade (32 degrees fahrenheit) and when the heating system is heating air at a rate specified in column (2) of Table X the temperature at a height of not more than 3 feet from the floor shall be the temperature specified in column (3) as appropriate to the type of accommodation specified in column (1).

TABLE X

Type of accommodation	Number of air changes per hour to be heated by the heating system	Temperatures
(1)	(2)	(3)
Medical inspection room, changing room, bathroom, water closet and shower room	3	18½°C (65°F)
Teaching space, dining room, nursery room, common room and staff room	2	17°C (62°F)
Assembly area, lecture hall, theatre and cinema	1½	15½°C (60°F)
Sickroom	3	14½°C (58°F)
Cloakroom and corridors	2	13°C (55°F)
Gymnasia	1½	13°C (55°F)
Games hall	1	10°C (50°F)

(2) In every school building the water temperature of a swimming pool shall be not less than 24°C (76°F), and the air temperature in the hall of a swimming pool shall be not less than the chosen water temperature.

Acoustic conditions

24.  Every part of the school building shall have acoustic conditions and insulation against disturbance by noise appropriate to the use for which the part of the building is designed.

Water supply

25.—(1) In every school building wholesome water in sufficient quantities shall be provided for drinking and for all other purposes.

(2) Each wash basin or group of wash basins shall have a supply of water warmed sufficiently for washing purposes.

(3) All sinks to be used for general purposes and baths shall have an adequate supply of separately controlled hot and cold water.

(4) Every shower shall have a supply of water warmed to a temperature of not less than 30°C (100°F) nor more than 44°C (111°F).

PART IV GRANT-AIDED SCHOOLS

Application of regulations to grant-aided schools

26.  It shall be a condition of grants made by the Secretary of State under Section 76 of the Act of 1962 in aid of the expenditure of the managers of any grant-aided school that Part II and Part III of these regulations shall apply to the premises and equipment of the school under their management as they apply to the premises and equipment of schools under the management of education authorities. If the Secretary of State is satisfied, after consultation with the managers of a grant-aided school, that it is impracticable or would be unreasonable to apply the standards prescribed in the said Part III to the premises and equipment of that school, he may by order modify standards for that school.

William Ross,

One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State.

St. Andrew's House,

Edinburgh, 1.

3rd August 1967.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This Note is not part of the Regulations.)

Section 19 of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1962, enables the Secretary of State to make regulations prescribing standards applicable to the premises and equipment of schools under the management of education authorities.

Part II of these regulations prescribes general requirements as to approval by the Secretary of State of sites for and plans of buildings and playing fields.

Part III of these regulations prescribes the standards for the purposes of section 19. The standards relate to—

(1) the area of sites for schools and for playing fields;

(2) the minimum area of educational accommodation for primary, secondary, nursery and special schools;

(3) the ancillary accommodation to be provided—kitchens, sanitary and washing accommodation for pupils, staff accommodation, medical and rest room accommodation; storage and outdoor educational and recreational areas; and

(4) services for all premises—lighting, ventilation, heating, acoustic conditions and water supply.

Under Section 76(1) of the Act of 1962 (which enables the Secretary of State to prescribe conditions upon which he gives grants to bodies other than education authorities) conformity with the approval standards prescribed in Part III of the regulations is made a condition upon which grant is paid to the governors of grant-aided schools. The governors must also obtain approval to the use of sites and of the plans of new buildings and work must not begin until approval has been given.

The Glossary of Terms used in Illumination and Photometry referred to in Regulation 21 is published by the British Standards Institution and is a publication available to the public.

These regulations supersede the School Premises (Standards and General Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 1959 to 1964.

(1)

1962 c. 47.

(2)

S.I. 1959/1096 (1959 I, p. 1075).

(3)

1889 c. 63.

(4)

1937 c. 37.

(5)

S.I. 1956/894 (1956 I, p. 735).

(6)

S.R. & O. 1947/415 (Rev. VI, p. 740; 1947 I, p. 627).