Breakout Space Ideas to Expand School Specialist Facilities!

Giving all children the opportunity to learn and play in a tailored, inclusive environment, is, thankfully, front and centre of what most of us in the education industry are working hard to achieve. 

With an estimated 20% of children in the UK being neurodivergent, their needs are a key factor in planning and designing school facilities. Since the government has apparently pledged more support for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, with the announcement in March of a £740 million capital grant for schools to create inclusive environments, schools are looking at ways to adapt and improve their facilities to better accommodate children’s needs, where previously there may not have been the resources to do so.

But what does the pledged capital funding for children with SEND actually mean for schools? How can the funds best be used?

What’s This Government Grant All About, and Has Anything Really Changed?!

A little bit - things seem to be moving forward!

The government has announced that ‘more children and young people will be supported to achieve and thrive in their local school’, with ‘10,000 new school places to be funded for children with SEND, delivering on the Plan for Change.’ 

It has said that the £740 million is being invested to deliver adaptations and expand specialist units in mainstream schools, as well as to create new places in special schools. The grant itself isn’t a completely new thing, but part of a long-standing High Needs Provision Capital Grant.

It’s expected that the £740 million will be allocated by the Department for Education to local authorities in the 2025-26 financial year, with funds likely to be distributed this summer.

Importantly, the government has specified that this is a capital grant - the funding is to be used ‘to ensure an inclusive environment in which all pupils can be supported, for example by creating breakout spaces where children can go to self-regulate, or investing in assistive technology’.

So the money can be spent on building new units, repairing and improving old facilities, or installing new equipment that will improve accessibility for children with SEND. It cannot be used, for example, to pay for staff or advisory fees.

It’s also a high-needs grant, which means it’s there to fund improved facilities for children with an EHCP or in alternative provision. There’s a real emphasis coming from the government now, that local authorities should be using their allocated funds from this grant to invest in SEND infrastructure within mainstream schools.

Breakout Spaces - Creating Learning Spaces for Everyone

One of the main recommendations for LEAs allocating funds is that they should be used to create ‘breakout spaces’ within mainstream schools. The term is a little deceptive - proper breakout spaces aren’t just somewhere for children to go and have ‘a break’, but rather they’re dedicated spaces beyond the traditional classroom environment that support independent and small-group learning, and provide space to accommodate different learning styles, which is so hugely important if mainstream schools are to be truly inclusive.

By providing a variety of learning spaces for children, schools are far better positioned to cater for their different learning needs and support children with SEND with their individual and sensory needs.

Breakout spaces are typically more relaxed and informal, encouraging children’s creativity and promoting better engagement, increased productivity and learning outcomes where the traditional classroom environment doesn’t work for everyone all of the time. Some of the best benefits of breakout spaces include:

• Great collaboration - a dedicated space for smaller groups of children to work together on projects and share their ideas together without being disrupted or disrupting other learning activities.
• Better engagement - supported by a calm one-to-one space for interventions and individual learning. A comfortable and relaxing breakout space can make learning much more enjoyable and supports children with particular Special Educational Needs to feel better able to engage in their learning. Being more in control of their learning in this way can help children to develop independence and learn to be responsible.
• Recognising and supporting the value of different learning styles - some children prefer the quiet space to work independently at different times of the day or for specific lessons. Others appreciate the space to break out for group discussions, or to step away from the four walls of the classroom, with the opportunity to refresh, reset and/or learn on-the-move with a dedicated kinaesthetic learning space, for example.
• Reduces overcrowding - the provision of alternative learning spaces, especially making use of the outdoor environment, eases congestion in the classrooms.
• Flexibility - teachers have more and better options for working with groups and individuals when they have good breakout spaces at their disposal.

However breakout spaces work best for a particular school, the value lies in the fact that they will always help to create a dynamic learning environment for pupils that naturally promotes inclusivity. 

Pentagon’s Design Expertise - Building High-Value Breakout Spaces for Schools

As outdoor learning consultants and playground designers in the SEND sector, we are highly aware of the importance of creating engaging learning and play spaces that are safe and welcoming for all children, and that provide somewhere they can thrive as individuals.

Designing outdoor learning spaces to support children with a range of cognitive and physical challenges is fundamental to the work we do with schools, nurseries and Multi Academy Trusts across the UK. 

Pentagon design, supply and install a carefully considered collection of timber outdoor classrooms and canopies that provide beautiful and functional breakout spaces for schools, bringing cohesion between the indoor/outdoor environments and creating valuable additional learning spaces with a real connection to nature.

It’s so important for all children to have easy access to the outdoors every day. The outdoors is well-known for improving mood and reducing stress levels for all of us, and with the right facilities and access, it can hugely improve academic performance.

The simple act of stepping outdoors and into a welcoming breakout space can work wonders when it comes to pressing the ‘reset’ button, helping children to self-regulate and feel calm, comfortable and ready to learn.

Of course there is never a ‘one size fits all’ solution, which is why our bespoke-design capacity allows us to work with individual schools to accommodate their specific needs.

There are, however, certain aspects of our expertise - gathered over the past 25 years of designing and installing engaging outdoor learning spaces - that we know make all the difference in helping schools to provide incredible environments where all children can flourish:

• We adopt a collaborative approach on all of our projects - each school that we work with is assigned a dedicated in-house project manager who will visit you on site and work around your needs and requirements to ensure that your final design and installation meets your exact expectations…and usually more.
• We have a great choice of pre-designed outdoor classrooms to suit different spaces and budgets - you can view them here or contact us to request more details. All of our products and installations are built in strict accordance with industry standards and guidelines, and with industry-leading guarantees of up to 25 years, schools can be sure that our outdoor breakout spaces are built to last!
• We have the design and build capacity to be flexible with our installations. When designing your breakout space, it’s imperative to consider the full spectrum of Special Educational Needs - including communication and interaction, social, emotional and mental health, cognition, sensory and physical needs - and how your breakout space is going to work to accommodate these needs. We can incorporate beautiful and unique features, such as sensory panels, mark-making panels, planters for bringing nature to your breakout space, including raised planters for children with mobility difficulties, and comfortable, accessible seating. We prioritise natural light and/or shade depending on your space, and easy access for all users.
• Location is key. We will walk around your school site with you to ensure a clear understanding of how your breakout provision is to be used, and to make sure it’s located in the best position to gain maximum potential for best effect. Acoustic consideration is essential for many SEND children so it’s important that we accommodate this with the correct positioning, materials and design layout. While some breakout spaces work best further away from the school building and within more natural surroundings, covered canopies installed directly adjacent to the classroom make valuable all-weather use of previously unused areas, and provide a welcome additional teaching space with direct classroom access, allowing teachers and support staff sight of multiple learning zones at any one time.
• Access is paramount. We can install ramps, wider doorways and pathways with wheelchair friendly surfacing where required, to ensure that every child has easy access to their breakout space without having to think about it.
• Having ample storage within your breakout space is a practical consideration that we can accommodate at the design phase or add on later - secure storage means teaching resources are always close to hand and can be safely stored when not in use.

If you’re looking for ways to maximise your funding for SEND pupils to create a wholly-inclusive learning environment within your school or nursery, we’d love to help you. You can Contact Us here for free, expert advice, and if you’d like to take a look at some of our previous projects, they’re just here!