Flexibility isn’t a luxury – it’s a must

COVID showed organisations that work doesn’t always have to happen at a personal desk, paving the way for hot-desking, touchdown points, collaborative hubs and quiet nooks – all now standard in modern office design.

According to Roger, students need the same options. “For hundreds of years, students faced one way, with a teacher at the front,” he explains. “Now there are so many more options: collaboration, tables grouped, flexible layouts. These all support more modern methods of teaching – reciting things by rote won’t get children very far in the 21st century. They need to learn how to problem solve, work together and tap into their creativity.”

This aligns with the Department for Education’s focus on active, collaborative learning environments, particularly in Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, which explicitly promotes flexibility, collaboration and learner autonomy.

These aren’t new ideas for us at Pinnacle, because from the outset, we have listened to the latest research while also consulting with students, teachers and school leaders to improve the learning experience. What has emerged is that flexibility is a top priority. 

Furniture that moves, partitions on castors, and bookcases designed to zone a room have all been implemented in schools such as Faifley and Orbiston Community Hub in Scotland, where future-proofed learning environments are being fully embraced.

Ergonomics matters

Research by Public Health England found that poor office furniture and surroundings can have negative effects on health and well-being, engagement and productivity, and that same thinking has reached education.

Roger explains that high-quality ergonomic school furniture, particularly from manufacturers such as VS, has been transformative.

 “You don’t have to sit on a four-legged, rigid chair. With VS, cantilever frames give students the movement their bodies need.”

Adjustable height desks, once seen only in corporate settings, are also appearing in inclusive school design. They support wheelchair users and students with additional needs, but also allow teachers to model healthy working habits – something increasingly encouraged in UK well-being guidance.

Choice and autonomy are central

One of the biggest lessons from office design is that people perform differently depending on their environment. Some thrive in quiet nooks while others need to work with others in a more lively space, and schools are catching up.

Roger sees a clear shift:  “Everyone works in different ways. One student might work well at a desk in front of the teacher, but another might perform much better in a quiet nook somewhere.”

The University of Salford’s HEAD project states that learning spaces that allow students a choice in layout, seating and learning zones give them a sense of ownership and control, which is associated with better progress in reading, writing and maths.  

Reading corners, soft breakout pods, semi-enclosed hubs and one-to-one booths are now appearing in schools, allowing students to choose where they learn best. This mirrors modern workplaces, where staff select spaces based on the task at hand. 

Bridging school and the workplace

Schools aren’t just about knowledge transfer; they prepare young people for life beyond education. Today’s students are more design-literate and tech-comfortable than any previous generation.

Sixth-form centres in the independent sector often resemble boutique co-working spaces.

 “Some of them look almost like a hotel,” says Roger. “And why shouldn’t school feel more like a workplace, so students are ready to step into work without the shock of a drastic change?”

The Wellington School common room, for example, features exquisite walnut joinery and lighting that wouldn’t look out of place in a private members’ club. Spaces like this raise expectations and give students a sense of responsibility.

Roger explains: “It’s very similar to what offices do – open-plan tea points with breakout seating to bring people together and get them chatting.”

With face-to-face communication and social development now explicit priorities in the UK’s Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education and Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) frameworks, spaces like Wellington’s common room play a vital role. 

 “As part of the new curriculum, the DofE is trying to teach children the art of face-to-face communication, which is being lost thanks to smartphones,” Roger says. “Spaces that encourage conversation and social interaction play an important role.”

Technology integration is non-negotiable

Offices have long prioritised screens, connectivity, power access and hybrid working setups – and schools are now following suit.

Modern FF&E planning includes large screens, collaborative display zones, charging hubs, and secure laptop storage. While not every desk needs power, flexible charging solutions are now standard.

More advanced still are hybrid learning spaces, particularly in international schools, where students join remote lessons from dedicated hubs – a model increasingly used in the UK’s digital learning strategy and another thing that emerged from COVID when home schooling became compulsory.

One of the most striking examples of a tech-friendly learning space in our portfolio is Forest School’s Media Room.“At first glance, it looks like something from Star Wars,” Roger says. “It’s really state-of-the-art, with one-to-one meeting booths, curved workspaces, soft seating and LED-lit ceiling panels. It reflects the best of contemporary office design, showing that schools don’t require the larger budgets usually associated with the independent sector to bring about impactful changes.” 

The future of learning environments

As offices continue to evolve, schools will increasingly borrow their ideas. Comfort, flexibility, autonomy, professionalism and well-being are no longer luxuries for adults only; they are essential for everyone, regardless of age.

“We’re getting students ready for the world of work,” Roger says. “And that new way of working is starting to shape our schools”