Hapton Primary School – Classroom refurbishment

The Brief

As part of its investment in new technology Hapton was looking to create inspirational, interactive classrooms plus a media suite and library which would engage young pupils, motivating them to read and gain confidence in using IT and broadcasting facilities.

To encourage reception age children to use washrooms and maintain good hand hygiene, the school sought to create a space which was friendly, familiar and appealing to young minds.

The Solution

Innova Design Group took into account the differing age ranges of the pupils in order to create learning spaces with maximum appeal. Interactive teacher walls were installed with a pull out step to enable even the very youngest children to take part in collaborative learning. To ensure good circulation and optimise teaching space storage cupboards were built in to teacher walls and incorporated into the library with ceiling height units.

Colourful, loose tables and chairs and bright colour schemes were adopted in the classrooms designed for the youngest pupils, with warm, harmonious tones giving a ‘grown up’ feel to learning spaces for older children.

In the library and media suite, a bright, space age ‘rocket ship’ theme was devised to inspire and encourage pupils to use radio, green screen and tv technology with confidence. Soft, modular furniture provided space for informal group work and storytelling sessions.

To counter the anxiety young children sometimes experience when using school washrooms, colourful, age-appropriate designs incorporating animals and familiar and appealing activities were used on toilet doors. The washroom layout was specially created to guarantee young users comfort and privacy from other children whilst allowing supervising staff to keep an eye on them.

Installing wash stations with blue LED lighting helped to increase the washrooms’ appeal to pupils and encourage good hand hygiene.

The designs have been a great success in helping pupils to overcome their fears about using the toilet; the graphics have helped to lift the atmosphere in the area, encouraging pupils use and ownership so the space is well looked after.