Schools constitute a fundamental institution directly connected to the overall well-being of the person. Thanks to the educational experiences it offer, it represents the most significant extra-familial environment in the development path from childhood to adolescence with an emphasis on autonomy. Within the school context, children and adolescents can benefit from relationships with peers, develop new forms of learning, experiment and interface with different behaviors proposed by teachers and peers (Garcìa Bacete et al., 2014).

Despite the many activity about and the modern teaching methodologies, the complex and multidimensional phenomenon of early school leaving is still present. The overall estimate of students who fall into the group of early school leavers in Italy reaches around 20%, the situation in Tuscany is only slightly better than the national average with 11.1% (with male prevalence).

Among the main risk factors underlying school dropout, the following stand out: low academic performance, failure, temporary interruption or withdrawal from school limited to specific periods, absenteeism up to the point of dropping out of school. This list considers elements belonging to school contexts, but it is necessary to take into account that what has an impact, sometimes predominantly, are socio-economic conditions of deprivation and hardship, stressful family contexts, migratory backgrounds and individual characteristics to be recognized and on which to intervene promptly (Biagioli , Baldini & Proli, 2022; Pedditzi, Fadda & Lucarelli, 2022).

Comparing the data back to the school year 2019-2020 the severity index went from 2 to 3. The hypothesis of this increase is attributable to the emergency linked to COVID-19.

In response to the pandemic situation, schools have implemented actions to encourage student participation, including a review of the school environments to improve the dropout phenomenon.

The scope of the revision of the spaces in schools is: 

  • Offer alternative spaces that are more attractive to all students and strengthen the school community.
  • Become even more inclusive (access for all students, even those with disabilities).
  • Conform to new methodological needs: being able to carry out activities on the move / in groups / changing the layout even quickly if the succession of activities requires it.
  • Dialogue with and for the community around the school, thus encouraging the presence of children who come from families with socio-economic disadvantage.

The revision of the spaces favors these objectives and over time the observed results are generally:

  • Increase in school attendance;
  • Improved academic performance;
  • Reduction of absenteeism;
  • Greater participation in school activities by the family;
  • Greater responsibility for families.

The Italian State organization INDIRE (Research and Innovation for Italian School) already in 2016 had defined in its Manifestodelle Avanguardie Educative that some spaces shall be dedicated to the Group, understood as a multifunctional learning environment for the class; furthermore, the schools’ reflection touched on issues relating to the impact that the space within the school has on the surrounding environment and the community that lives in the space outside the school, i.e. the social context where the school is located.  

(link: https://innovazione.indire.it/avanguardieeducative/il-manifesto)

It is important that the classroom becomes a flexible group space and allows for the organization of various types of activities: collaborative, creative, listening and reflection. Thus the student is put at the center and together with him the staff of the training and educational path. In this climate the student must have the opportunity to follow his own learning pace and be able to participate in both individual and group activities. For this reason, more and more schools are organizing themselves to create informal spaces with comfortable furnishings where students can rest, read or listen to music; but also other spaces where the community can meet, the so-called Agora, where topics involving students, school staff, families and other external guests can be shared.

This should be a priority especially in those areas where social problems are higher.

In recent years in Italy, school architecture has been at the center of a more general reflection on the role of schools in current society. And this is why IAL Toscana, together with other partners of the European project called Learnitect – Meeting of Innovative Learning Design and Inclusive Learning Spaces, works to map and collect good practices in school building and furnishing. 

Written by: Claudia Fabbrini, Alice Lepore, Gabriella Pusztai, IAL Toscana

Project reference: The LEARNITECT – Meeting of innovative learning design and Inclusive learning spaces is co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme. Grant agreement number: 2023-1-HU01-KA210-SCH-000152699.

With the main partner of the project, the Hungarian Association for Hungarian Digital Education, and with partners Learnitect Design Ltd (Hungary),  Previform Lda (Portugal) IAL Toscana carries out the project activities, financed by Erasmus Plus programme.