Clever Classrooms: Summary Report of the HEAD Project

This report, based on data collected from 27 schools in England, indicates that well-designed primary schools boost children’s academic performance in reading, writing and math. The authors find that differences in the physical characteristics of classrooms explain 16% of the variation in learning progress over a year for the 3,766 pupils included in the study. The attributes studied include temperature, air quality, light, and sound, as well as the shape, complexity, and flexibility of classroom spaces.

Notably, classroom-level design was found to be far more influential than whole-school factors, and many impactful improvements can be made at little or no cost. The report offers practical recommendations for teachers and designers to create more effective learning spaces, emphasizing that thoughtful, evidence-based changes to classroom environments can meaningfully enhance student learning.