The primary school gates often function as the heart of the community - a place where children and parents make friends and learn the latest news. With this in mind, it is critical to integrate the schools as much as possible - by locating them in the heart of neighbourhoods close to other facilities, and by designing them to be multi purpose. School halls and gymnasia can double as community halls out of hours, playing fields can be used by kids groups at weekends and IT facilities could potentially be used for adult education. As a rule of thumb, 5,000 new homes is likely to generate a need for three primary schools.