Covingham Park Primary School in Wiltshire adds Playground Canopy

The practical benefits have surpassed all that of just an ordinary canopy. The shelter also serves as a door canopy, an outdoor learning area, and a covered walkway.

Project Specification

Product: Motiva Mono™
Size: 15000mm x 4000mm
Steelwork:
- Burgundy
Roof:
- Opal

What was the project brief?

Curved roof playground shelter we made for Covingham Park Primary School This primary school in Swindon, Wiltshire, is dedicated to ensuring that pupils are given the best environment to achieve and succeed. Something that they had noticed, was whilst they offered exceptional educational facilities, there was no outdoor covered area that children could use to enjoy the fresh air all year round – should the great British weather prevail. With the added importance of outdoor access – to keep the children safe during the pandemic – they knew that an outdoor canopy would provide them with the perfect solution. It was then that the school turned to A&S Landscape, a UK leading supplier in high-quality outdoor shelters. The school gave their specific requirements, and A&S Landscape handled the entire process, from producing the initial design, right up to the final installation.

What was our shelter solution?

Never one to offer a predesigned canopy, A&S Landscape used their extensive expertise to explore the school’s vast array of options, and finally settled on the Motiva Mono™. The school had opted for the shelter to be elevated against one of the existing school buildings, and so the ‘Mono’ offered the perfect design and would provide the efficient shelter they needed. Measuring at 15000mm X 4000mm, the traditional steel structure was finished in burgundy to match the school colours, with six maroon post pads reaching 12000mm high on the supporting poles. The sturdy polycarbonate, curved roof was finished in opal, beautifully adding to the overall aesthetics of the canopy. With all of these durable design features, this canopy will serve as a long-lasting playground shelter, suitable well beyond the summer months.

What was the result of their new curved roof canopy?

The practical benefits have surpassed all that of just an ordinary canopy. The shelter also serves as a door canopy, an outdoor learning area, and a covered walkway. The shelter can even be used as a dining area too – should the children wish to have a break time or lunchtime there. In addition to this, the canopy plays a huge part in the essential element of keeping the children safe, and in line with the Government guidelines for social distancing. Among the numerous benefits, however, and one of the biggest advantages of them all, is that the children now have the perfect balance of indoor and outdoor when they attend school all year round. The positive impact of this will certainly be evident, as we all know the significance of being outdoors for a child’s wellbeing.

Testimonial / Client Feedback

“A&S Landscape was really supportive and were very good at providing information when we needed it. When it came to construction, the team were just really helpful and did a really good job.”

– School Business Manager, Covingham Park Primary School

About the Client

Covingham Park Primary School is located in Swindon, a large town in the beautiful county of Wiltshire. The primary school promotes independence, aspirations, active learning, and community among its students, supporting their thoughtful tag line of ‘caring for students, promoting success.’ They were a wonderful school to work with, and we very much enjoyed the entire process of working with them. In light of the challenging circumstances brought on by the pandemic, all our projects are a little different at the moment, but Covingham Park Primary School did their very best to make us comfortable. All in all, we had a fantastic experience working with them.

What Are The Benefits Of Outdoor Learning and How Can This Also Impact Teacher Performance?

There are lots of benefits of learning outside which help school children as well as staff. A factor that is generally overlooked is the teacher’s satisfaction of teaching lessons and how the choice to teach outside can be just as enthralling for them as it is for pupils. Being in an outdoor location is healthy and breeds positivity for teachers which is regularly reflected in their lessons and the way they teach. If a teacher is uninspired, that absence of eagerness can carry over into their lessons but putting them in contact with nature can effectively change the way they view teaching. A cheerful teacher is a excellent teacher and one that is spirited about educating children. Introducing a shelter into a school gives both teachers and students a chance to explore this together and brings with it a positive sense of freedom. Increasing engagement in school is something every teacher is looking to do and with an shelter from A&S Landscape, it’s made much easier. The more captivated students are with their learning, the more their skills advance and the more confident they become in their abilities.

Click here to continue learning about the benefits of learning outdoors.

What are the other uses of a shelter in a school?

The addition of an ideal shelter can have countless useful applications across school grounds, and they make an excellent investment. Here are just a few of their versatile uses.

Outdoor Classroom

With Ofsted recommending children have at least 3 hours outside per day, it’s time to take the learning outside. Not only does an outdoor teaching area bring variation to education, and greater creativity, being outside is fantastic for their mental health and wellbeing. Building the school canopy as an offshoot to the classroom also provides that extra space should the classroom feel slightly cramped and can really help lessons reach their full potential with the ideal learning space.

Covered Walkways

If your school buildings are spread out across the grounds, moving between classrooms can be a mission to keep yourself, and whatever you may be carrying at the time – dry! Given that in the UK, it rains 156 (.2, if you’d like to be exact) days of the year – weather protection should really be high on your agenda. It’s no good for pupils, and no good for staff, turning up to classes soaked to the core. A covered walkway is the perfect cover solution, and it protects the carpets too!

Bicycle shelters

You remember when the country went into lockdown and you couldn’t purchase a bike for love, nor money? As a nation, we are starting to really get into biking, and as a school, that means having the right provisions for bike storage. Depending on the size of your outdoor space, your security requirements, and what you’d like the cycle shelter to look like – either the Cyclo Bike™, Cyclo Buggy™, or Cyclo City™ can be adapted to fit your needs. Whether this is with the addition of side panels to make it more secure, or bespoke dimensions, at A&S Landscape, we have you covered!

Why choose A&S Landscape for your school canopy needs?

With 44 years of extensive experience in the shelter UK industry, with a predominant amount within an educational setting, we have developed highly sought-after expertise within the industry. From a simple door canopy to a Covered Multi-Use Games Area, we’ve managed projects right from the design, up until the canopy installation, always leaving with happy, satisfied customers.

Whatever your needs, our family-led team will help you find the most effective shelter for your canopy project and will do our utmost to help you find the right cover solution. To find out more, please call 01743 444100 or email us at [email protected].

Find out about some of our other projects completed near Wiltshire in Somerset

Green Fabric Umbrella Canopy Installed at Ashcott Playing Fields

Working with this prestigious client our team created a playground umbrella in Ashcott Playing Fields Ashcott, Somerset. The contract included one Maxima™ waterproof Umbrella structure supported on a single upright measuring 4000mm X 4000mm.

Farmborough C of E VC Primary School Add Two Shelters to Playground

Working for the contractor our team made two straight polycarbonate roof canopies in Farmborough C Of E VC Primary School Farmborough, Bath, Somerset. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 8150mm X 2500/3400mm and 4500mm X 1900mm. One Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 3300mm X 2500mm, both included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Bridgwater College Academy Create Outdoor Sheltered Space

Working alongside our building contractor client A&S erected a straight polycarbonate roof canopy in Bridgwater College Academy Parkwaybridgwater Somerset Ta6 4Qy Parkway, Bridgwater, Somerset. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Multicoloured Covered Walkway Designed for St Nicholas Primary School

Working for the contractor A&S erected two straight polycarbonate roof canopies for St Nicholas Primary School Radstock, North East Somerset. The job involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 24600mm X 2000mm and the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 10891mm X 2000mm, both included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Northgate Primary School Add Freestanding Straight Roof Shelters

Working with our building contractor client A&S constructed roofing to canopies in Northgate Primary School Northgate, Bridgewater, Somerset. The full contract involved Stand alone glazed canopies Motiva Linear™ Monopitch Canopy.