CONDITIONS OF HEALTH ESSEP^TIAL FOR CARHYING ON INSTRUCTION. 45? 



possible dfetails Applicable to particular classes of stihodls, which can be 

 readily obtained from the regulations mentioned abovfe 



Generally. — The plan or general scheme of the building should be 

 arranged with a view to providing for the particular system of organisa- 

 tion and routine that is intended to be adopted in the school. 



The main points to be kept in view are simplicity and directness, 

 that is to say, narrow corridors or passages are to be avoided ; all parts of 

 the building and playgrounds should be easily overlooked, so that the 

 duties of supervision may be reduced to a minimum. There should be no 

 buttresses or projecting parts of the building to form corners or places 

 screened from observation. 



Every part of the inside should be thoroughly well lighted. 



The staircases should be planned so that there is easy and direct access 

 from every part of the building to the open air, and so distributed that no 

 part of the building can be cut off by fire ; they should be arranged to 

 discharge into open places of sufficient size to prevent jostling or crowd- 

 ing in case of two or more classes being dismissed at the same time. The 

 general scheme must provide for rapid and orderly movements of large 

 numbers and easy accessibility to every part of the building for the 

 principal. 



In the case of large boarding schools, the residential buildings should 

 be kept sepnrate from the educational block ; in this way each boarding 

 house may be placed so as to have the most favourable aspect, can be 

 more easily isolated in case of sickness, and the air can be allowed free 

 play all round. 



The objection to arranging a school in the form of a quadrangle is 

 that there will necessarily be a certain amount of stagnant air, and that 

 only two sides can have a favourable aspect. 



Site. — A damp or low-lying ground should be avoided — if possible a 

 position on the top or side of a hill facing south with a gravel, sand, or chalk 

 •soil, sheltered to the north and east by trees, preferably pines. Ground 

 water should not come within about 10 or 12 feet of the surface. The 

 advantages of a good soil, such as sand or gravel, may be entirely neutral- 

 ised by an impervious layer of clay a little below the surface. 



The erection of a school building upon made ground is veiy unde- 

 sirable. 



In towns care should be taken to place the school away f loni main or 

 noisy thoroughfares, the neighbourhood of railways, factories, or any 

 industries causing dust and smell. A wide street with the houses on the 

 opposite side low should be chosen, both for light and the avoidance of 

 noise. Otherwise, unless the building can be put at least 60 feet back 

 from the street there will be disturbance to the work. In any case the 

 room where noise is of less importance, such as studios, laboratories, 

 cloak-rooms, staircases, corridors, and the assembly hall, should be placed 

 •on the street side, aspect having been taken into consideration. Double 

 windows should only be allowed where there is an effective and complete 

 independent system of ventilation. The places that the children may 

 have to pass on the way to school should also be considered when settling 

 the position of a school. 



Aspect. — The building must be placed so that the sun has free acces 

 to every part that is in constant use. The best aspect is probably 

 south-east : this allows the morning sun to .shine into the room while it ia 

 off before the hot part of the day. Rooms facing due west will be \ery 



