Teachers wanted flexible classroom lay-outs for different teaching styles

Some 87% of the 530 teachers in England who responded said school environments influenced pupils' behaviour.

Nearly a quarter told the British Council for School Environments poll that their school did not have the right level of security.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said top design standards were at the heart of government school building programmes.

The findings came in an online poll run by the Teacher Support Network for the BCSE.

This new research shows the importance of getting the design and build process right Ty Goddard BCSE

Teachers were asked for their opinions on their school environment and how this affected teaching, learning and pupils' behaviour.

They were asked to rate the design of their school in terms of its effectiveness as a learning environment.

Just 12% said they considered the design of their school buildings to be effective, while 32% said they were poorly designed.

Some respondents said narrow corridors contributed to "aggressive behaviour and arguments among students".

Others said the lack of a "proper desk and chair" inhibited a teacher's ability to do their job.

Hot and tired

One teacher said: "The standard of the environment sets the standard for the quality of learning.

"If the impression given to students is that this room doesn't matter then the impression is that it doesn't matter what they do in this room."

An inability to control temperature in classrooms and its impact was also highlighted by teachers.

One primary school teacher said: "My classroom is either too hot or too cold.

"The windows are too high and I have to climb on cupboards to open them. There is no temperature control. The children get tired in the heat."

Nearly nine out of 10 teachers said classroom lay-out was the most important aspect of school design.

But 59% said they were not able to adjust their physical environment to accommodate the different ways they taught classes.

Teachers wanted to be able to move furniture around so pupils could work in groups, for example.

'Wake-up call'

Nearly half of the respondents said school safety and security were right most of the time.

But some 23% said their school did not provide the right level of safety and security for all users.

BCSE director Ty Goddard said the results were a "wake-up call" for the government's planned multi-billion-pound school rebuilding programme.

"This new research shows the importance of getting the design and build process right, or we'll end up with new schools that don't work and fail our children, teachers and communities."

Teacher Support Network chief executive Patrick Nash said relatively inexpensive and simple factors such as lighting and ventilation were often overlooked.

Head of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Dr Mary Bousted, said even the most inspirational teachers and the most willing students would not perform at their best in buildings not designed to meet their needs.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said top design standards were at the heart of the government's record capital investment in schools.

"We want teachers and children to have the best quality facilities to get the best possible learning outcomes - that's why we have raised annual capital investment six-fold in real terms to �6.4bn and built over 1,100 new schools in 10 years.

"By working with many organisations, including BCSE, we have massively improved design quality to support teaching and learning."