Findings from a post‐occupancy evaluation in the UK primary schools sector

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an evidence base for what constitutes an optimal learning space, including a useful toolkit of good practice examples for use by local authority clients. Design/methodology/approach The research method centred on a structured case study of each school, informed by: site observation, questionnaire distribution, headteacher's interview and workshop discussions. A total of five primary schools were involved. Findings It was found that there is a gap between design expectations and the performance achieved, primarily because the occupants are usually simply coping with the given environment rather than actively managing it. Also, from the headteacher's perspective there are not enough driving forces to carry out post‐occupancy evaluations that would reveal this gap. Practical implications Different attitudes and behaviours are needed, and, for this, education programmes for users should be implemented on occupation to ensure that the potential of the design strategies is fully realized. On the other hand, the nature of POE is strongly related to building performance‐in‐use. Therefore, stronger and more regular POEs can play an important role in improving the practical use of existing buildings and the design of new buildings or improvements. Originality/value The significant contribution of this research is that it makes a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge of POE results and processes.