Designing for well-being – how school spaces can better support teachers and improve pupil behaviour

It doesn’t help that 54% of teachers reveal that they don’t have a safe, comfortable place to retreat during the school day and 73% report that their school doesn’t provide teachers with spaces that promote well-being.

It’s little surprise that teacher burnout is now widespread—and for many, inevitable.

Mark Allen Operations Director and Neil Thomas Education Consultant, at Pinnacle are both former teachers and say these figures reflect their experiences. For Mark, the decision to leave teaching was driven by stress and exhaustion.

Neil, an educational consultant for Pinnacle, adds: “After 14 years of working in fast-paced teaching and leadership roles, I burnt out to the point that I didn’t want to be in a school anymore. “

“Adolescence is not just a TV show.”

The Channel 4 series Adolescence has struck a chord with many teachers. One scene in which a newly qualified teacher is overwhelmed is described by Mark as “exactly my experience.” From escalating behaviour incidents to violence in schools, it all felt painfully familiar.

He recalled carrying a school radio as part of the senior leadership team, responding to fights and incidents across the school, and managing classrooms where serious behavioural issues were the norm—not the exception.

Mark reveals: “I remember a boy putting his foot through a glass pane in a door in a rage. There was a lot of blood.”

The lost staff room  

Staff rooms used to be sanctuaries, rooms where students weren’t allowed entry and teachers could swap notes, and share frustrations and resentment before the next lesson. “Ad-hoc therapy,” Mark calls it.

But modern schools are increasingly being built—or refurbished—without a dedicated staff room and where they are factored in, it’s often done so with little thought of how they’ll be used and what their purpose is.. Sometimes, teachers are left to eat lunch at their desks or grab a few quiet moments in makeshift corners of departmental offices. The NASUWT Teacher Wellbeing Survey confirms that more than half of teachers lack a safe, comfortable place to retreat to during the day.

Neil Thomas notes that the problem isn’t just a lack of space—it’s a lack of intent. “We talk about student behaviour, but who’s thinking about where the teachers go when it all gets too much?”

He adds: “Some of the best therapy I had was in the staff room over a cup of tea. You’d swap stories, share strategies, laugh about the chaos – it was invaluable. Being around other teachers who got it, who had just had their nightmare year 9 lesson or a breakthrough with a difficult pupil – that’s what kept me going. Without that space to decompress together, the job gets very lonely, very quickly.”

Burnout is often cited as the flipside of modern teaching, but it doesn’t have to be. Mark says: “If we treated teachers like professionals instead of martyrs, we’d design schools around their needs, too. Not just the kids.”

School staff room ideas that can make a difference 

Through their work with Pinnacle, Mark and Neil are now involved in designing school spaces that support staff and students. Their message is clear – the school environment has an impact on well-being.

“You can’t expect teachers to reset in a cold, sterile room with three broken chairs and a kettle from 1998,” says Mark. In contrast, he recalls a Pinnacle project at Garfield Primary where the staff room was thoughtfully divided into multiple zones: a social space, a quiet workspace, and an area to relax. “It wasn’t rocket science—but it worked.”

The team also utilised their teacher staff room ideas at Abingdon School, one of the oldest schools in England where the head recognised the importance of investing in staff facilities. The space is exceptional and the master does his shout-out from the gallery every week.

Behaviour, belonging and well-designed learning spaces

The link between physical space and pupil behaviour is equally strong. Neil and Mark agree that a thoughtfully designed classroom, or corridor, can ease tension, encourage engagement, and help staff manage difficult behaviour more effectively.

Breakout zones, flexible seating, calming colours, and sensory-friendly corners aren’t just for SEND students—they’re good for everyone and in today’s classrooms, they’re increasingly necessary.

The role of space as a behavioural management tool should not be underestimated. Neil explains: “It’s not just neurodiverse learners who benefit from these adaptations. It’s every child who’s ever had a bad morning.”

Inspiring learning spaces encourage better behaviour

Creating inspiring learning spaces for pupils is about more than aesthetics — it’s about firing the imagination, increasing engagement, and fostering a sense of pride and ownership.

Mark explains: “When we designed the science lab at The Forest School, we wanted it to feel like a place where something exciting could happen the moment you walked in.”  The result? A bold, immersive space where the floor looks like molten lava, igniting curiosity before a single Bunsen burner is lit. “You could see the kids’ faces light up,” Mark recalls. “It wasn’t just another dull classroom—it felt like a discovery stage. The lab sets a standard and it’s in a state school.”

For students, especially those who struggle with conventional learning environments, spaces like The Forest School science lab, help inspire a joy of learning and for teachers, working in a place that engages pupils makes classroom management easier.

Conclusion…

The conversation around school design often focuses on performance metrics and academic achievement, but real progress begins when teachers and pupils feel valued, and supported. If you give teachers spaces to retreat and provide classrooms that inspire students, the entire school experience is transformed.