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Appendix B – Scope and education buildings

BREEAM International New Construction 2016 has been tailored specifically for the assessment of the following educational establishments:

Preschools, including:
1. Nursery schools1Nursery school or education means full-time or part-time education suitable for children who have not attained compulsory school age (whether provided at schools or elsewhere), i.e. facilities or buildings for the teaching of children who are between the ages of two or three to five years old.
2. Children's centres2Children's centres are multi-agency service hubs where young children and their families can receive early education, full day childcare, parental support and child and family health services, such as access to health visitors and health screening. Children's centres will often be allied to a local primary school, on or adjacent to the school site.
Schools, including:
1. Primary schools
2. Secondary schools
3. All age range schools (including education or teaching buildings at boarding schools)
4. Non-acute special educational needs (SEN) schools
Universities and colleges
Higher education or vocational colleges and institutions, including:
1. Teaching facilities
2. Learning resource centres
3. Laboratories, workshops or studios
4. Student unions
5. Or a mixture of the above types.

Acute special educational needs (SEN) schools

Acute SEN refers to children with severe disabilities or learning difficulties that prevent them from interpreting their surroundings without feeling anxious or distressed. These children can become easily distracted or overstimulated, or both. This group of pupils mainly include children with behavioural, emotional or social difficulties (BEDS) and children with communication and interaction disability (autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)).

This BREEAM scheme has not been specifically tailored to assess acute SEN schools. However assessment using the methodology is still possible, except where highly specialised accommodation is provided. Acute SEN schools therefore require a bespoke assessment.

For more information on SEN please refer to Building Bulletin 102 Designing for disabled children with special educational needs, published by the Department for Children Schools and Families (available from: www.education.gov.uk).

Student residential accommodation

BREEAM International New Construction 2016 can be used to assess boarding school, college or University residential buildings. These types of building are classified as Residential institutions for the purpose of a BREEAM assessment.