Catmose Primary School at the forefront of Science Education

New Catmose Laboratory engages Primary School pupils in Science Education

Catmose is an excellent Primary school with academy status located in Rutland and catering for ages 4 -11. The school’s ethos is designed to be Individual, Innovative and Inspiring, making sure their students are well prepared to start their secondary education. To continue to deliver this forward- thinking syllabus the school wanted to install a new fully equipped Science Laboratory so the pupils have access to a broader education.

The Brief

In March 2019, the primary school approached Innova Design Group as they wanted to refurbish a classroom space into a fully functional Science Laboratory.  Catmose School’s aspiration was to engage primary school students with Science as early as possible. The Laboratory needed to cater for the older Key stages to use the science services and carry out experiments, developing their investigative and experimental skills, leading to a well-embedded understanding of Science concepts.

The Solution

Innova delivered a full turnkey solution including all M&E works (gas, electrics and plumbing) a new low slip vinyl flooring, new suspended ceiling and lighting, minor build works (wall removal) decoration and all FF&E (furniture fittings and equipment).  A Teacher Wall was installed to maximise storage, house AV equipment and promote attention spans.

To transform this general classroom into a new and exciting Science Laboratory, Innova created a flexible Laboratory layout using service pods housing electrics and gas services with loose tables around the pods, which can be moved to cater to different teaching styles.

Sinks and storage are kept to the perimeter of the classroom to maximize space and flow in the laboratory. A separate store-room has been added to the side of the lab, providing extra space to house equipment, glassware and other resources, maintaining Health and safety– freeing up valuable desk space and minimising distractions and clutter.

The teacher demo desk with integrated services (electric & gas) positioned at the front of the classroom provides the perfect platform to easily demonstrate any science experiment to the pupils.

The results of this lab are modern and inspiring. The new space encourages a lasting passion for Science, places the primary school at the forefront and offers Catmose students’ all the skills they will need to thrive in secondary school Science education.