Welcome back to Work
Welcome back to the start of another academic year, in which teachers will spend an average of 1,265 hours in the school building. With so much time spent in the classroom, by both students and staff, it is vital that school environments are fit for the pressures of everyday learning.
School furniture has moved on from the wooden flip desks, thankfully, and needs to be both flexible and functional, adapting to the changing educational environment… Or is it? Although technology has advanced when it comes to classrooms, many schools have been left behind, forced to deal with out-dated facilities and overcrowding.
When 667 heads of schools and business managers in the UK were questioned about the state of their school buildings, an astounding 49% responded that they were not fit for purpose. It is not just the outdated facilities that schools suffer however, but also overcrowding. School sites are being pushed to their absolute limit; one school in Taunton, for example, are forced to pack 1,236 students into a site designed for 600.
In some cases, schools’ have no choice but to decrease the hours of learning on offer to students, simply due to the hazardous conditions. At a school in Nottinghamshire for instance, students lose thousands of teaching hours when they are sent home due to the faulty roof.
Many have turned to school interior specialist, Innova Design, to resolve the problems with their classrooms. Innova’s experience in the education sector means that the company incorporate the latest thinking surrounding educational environments, whilst understanding the importance of completing their spaces on time and on budget.
Not only is Innova ‘s furniture designed and manufactured in house, allowing costs to be kept to a minimum, but their highly professional team see the project right through from design to completion, either by providing a complete turnkey operation or simply providing furniture.
Innova understands the importance of working within the restrictions of time and budget. Experience within the education sector has equipped the team at Innova to work within these restrictions, whilst using unique designs to transform spaces dramatically.
“The work has had a massive impact on the learning environment in the school“ Mark Fowle, Headteacher, Southlands High School
“It’s just a dream lab, I can’t wait to have our lessons in it!” Student, Southam College
Whether you require a single refurbishment or furniture for a full new build – Innova has the solution. Specialising in creating quality, purpose built furniture, Innova delivers high performance learning environments that are built to last, making classrooms all over the country safer and more comfortable places to learn.
Innova recognises the importance of space and flexibility, creating astute storage options and ensuring varying teaching methods can be used without disruption. By looking at the bigger picture, Innova creates designs that can work with pre-existing features of the school in order to maximise efficiency and make budgets stretch further. Their spaces never fail to make an impact.
Innova takes pride in helping schools to achieve their primary function – to inspire students.