The Influence of New School Buildings Upon the Motivation, Morale and Job Satisfaction of Their Teaching Staff

This research relates to a recent government policy to create new school buildings in the United Kingdom. It seeks to examine whether stated national aspirations have had the prescribed outcomes on teaching professionals, their professional lives and their motivation, morale and job satisfaction. This qualitative research, using semi-structured interviews, has focused on two new schools in a rural/urban target authority located in the West Midlands of England: School A, a small rural primary and School B, a larger than average urban primary school. This study has involved teaching professionals alongside members of staff related to the national building school creation body, local authority inspectors and architects linked to the creation of new schools.

The study supports the notion that national aspirations have been met at a local level and that these schools promote the desired outcomes stated in government literature. These schools have also positively affected teachers in terms of their motivation, morale and job satisfaction. This has led to changes in teachers’ professional identities and positive feelings towards their levels of retention. This study illustrates how not all central policies lead to disempowerment and the effects contextual factors have in managing the pool of talent within our schools.