King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy in Birmingham Add Large Dining Canopy

Lunchtimes at King Edward VI Academy in Sheldon Heath, Birmingham were becoming so busy that the school began to outgrow their existing dining room. Staff at King Edward VI Academy recognised an urgent need for additional dining seating. To tackle the problem they decided to add some picnic benches for schools to the school playground covered by a free standing canopy to protect students from the weather.

Project Specification

Product: Motiva Duo™
Size: 16000mm x 12000mm
Steelwork:
- Traffic Red - RAL NO. 3020
Roofing:
- Opal

What was the project?

Red frame shelter we manufactured for King Edward Sheldon Heath Academy To add a curved roof free standing canopy to the school grounds at King Edward VI Academy in Sheldon Heath big enough to accommodate several large picnic benches for schools.

What was the problem?

Being a mixed secondary school and sixth form, King Edward VI Academy in Sheldon Heath, Birmingham has to attend to a significant volume of students every day. Many of which descend upon the academy’s dining facilities during lunchtime frequently overwhelming the canteen.

The school decided to provide much-needed seating for students to use during lunchtime by installing a large dining canopy in their playground. But for the project to be successful staff realised that they’d need to install outdoor dining shelter solutions to their outdoor seating area to protect students from the great British weather! That’s when King Edward VI Academy approached A&S Landscape, appointing them to design, manufacture and install a free standing canopy for the school’s new outdoor dining facilities.

What was our solution?

We installed a large free standing canopy to King Edward VI Academy’s grounds in Sheldon Heath, Birmingham. It’s one of the best canopy solutions for school dining and incorporates a large steel curved roof canopy frame painted in bright Traffic Red with an Opal polycarbonate roof. There are several advantages to this configuration; the Traffic Red canopy frame draws attention and reminds the students that they can dine outside, while being very sturdy and long-lasting. The curved roof gently directs rainfall into the internal guttering system protecting the students from splashes and the area from puddles. The Opal polycarbonate roof cover shields students from harmful UV rays while they’re dining outdoors and also diffuses bright sunlight creating a comfortable outdoor dining canopy solution suitable for covering the picnic benches for schools already installed.

What product did we use?

We used the Motiva Duo™, a symmetric curved roof free standing canopy where both sides are identical in height (rather than one side sloping). It’s the most common option for outdoor dining shelters, playground canopies or covered walkways. And is also efficient owing to the superior materials and options for adding side infills, to enhance protection from the elements. King Edward Academy VI opted for the Motiva Duo™ without side infills creating an authentic outdoor dining experience. But it is possible to infill all sides and add heating and lighting with this model. This canopy looks good on its own or grouped with more than one Motiva Duo™ free-standing shelter.

The Benefits Of Eating Outdoors and Its Effect on Mental Health

There is a lot of research that indicates the benefits of spending time outdoors; alleviating heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones and muscle tension. It can even uplift your mood. Developments in attention, memory and concentration have also been proven.

How does this effect children in school? Well, being indoors for the majority of the day is linked to increased anxiety and depression. Couple this with the call of computer games and social media at home and you can see how fundamental it is to offer children as many opportunities to be outdoors during the school day as possible.

Spending time outdoors improves Vitamin D levels (an important hormone that helps to protect against a series of diseases such as osteoporosis, depression, heart attacks and stroke). It is revealed in research that many of us do not get enough of this important vitamin, so more time outside is key to help tackle this deficiency.

With the longest break in the school day being the lunch break, a good remedy is alfresco dining. More and more schools are enhancing their outdoor areas, erecting outdoor dining spaces, with canopies, shade sails, umbrellas and even enclosed outdoor dining rooms. With climbing pupil numbers, this is a solution to the increased pressure that existing dining rooms come under as schools grow.

Continue reading about how schools can benefit from outdoor dining over on our blog.

What was the result?

The installation was King Edward Academy’s first outdoor free standing canopy, and it has proven to be very successful. It has alleviated the pressure in the school dining room and has created plenty of additional school dining seating which is adequate for solving the school’s needs. The school is also impressed with the idea that they can add to their outdoor dining facilities by adding more shelter solutions to this installation in the future if needed. Furthermore, King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy in Birmingham is delighted to see students reaping the benefits of spending more time outdoors by using the shelter throughout the day, not just during lunchtimes.

A little bit about the client…

King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy is a secondary school and a sixth form serving a diverse and vibrant community. The school boasts state-of-the-art facilities and a broad curriculum designed to support their vision, which is to enable students to reach their ”highest academic and personal standards”. It was a pleasure working with the staff at King Edward VI Academy and to be part of the school’s forward-thinking approach to encouraging their students to accomplish their best. We hope that the many advantages of alfresco dining will add to the school’s vision and contribute to their successful development.

What is a curved roof canopy?

A curved roof canopy is the standard configuration for free-standing canopies (canopies that don’t fix to existing buildings). With a curved roof canopy, both sides of the roof are the same height, rather than slanted (as you would see with a lean-to canopy). The curved roof is practical and provides many advantages, such as sun, wind and rain protection and looks aesthetically pleasing.

How long does it take to install a free standing canopy in secondary schools?

Installation lead times for shelter solutions can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and during busy times. Here at A&S Landscape, our usual lead times are eight weeks for manufacturing and quality control, after this period the lead time depends on when we can arrange a mutually agreeable installation time. However, it’s important to remember that we’re usually busier with manufacturing and installation during school holidays. The best way to determine a lead time is to call us on 01743 444100.

How A&S Landscape can help you

We design, manufacture and install a wide range of bespoke canopy solutions to schools, public spaces, hotels and restaurants and other public sector establishments which means that we know what problems you face and how to solve them efficiently. We’re a family-run business with over 44 years of experience and a solid and proven reputation for being reliable and efficiently delivering high-performance products. Just check out our customer testimonials to see for yourself. Once you’ve checked us out, the next step is to give us a call or send us an email, let us know what you’re considering for your premises and we will get back in touch to share with you how we can help you. You can contact us on 01743 444100 or at [email protected].

Read about more of our projects based in Birmingham

Playground Shelter Installed at Wheelers Lane Primary School

Our engineers erected a straight polycarbonate roof canopy in Wheelers Lane Primary School Kings Heath, Birmingham. The contract included the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 5900mm X 4000mm and included our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Rubery Nursery School Add Shelter to Play Area

We designed a straight polycarbonate roof canopy in Rubery Nursery School Rednal, Birmingham, West Midlands. The job involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 14000/9000mm X 3000mm and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish along with dismantling and removal of existing structures.

Fabric Shade Sail Manufactured for Thornton Junior School

Our engineers produced a shade sail in Thornton Junior School Ward End, Birmingham, West Midlands. The full contract involved one Shade Cloth Fabric including for tension mechanisms.

Wave Roof Covered Walkways Designed for Great Barr Primary School

A&S designed three wave canopies for Great Barr Primary And Nursery School Aldridge Road, Great Barr, Birmingham. The full contract involved the supply and install three Motiva Wave™ monopitch curved roof canopies. One measuring 11300mm X 2930mm, one measuring 14300mm X 4230mm and one measuring 27500mm X 3200mm. All canopies included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Kingsland Primary School Add Curved Roof Shelters

We created two curved roof canopies for Kingsland Primary School Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands metropolitan. The full contract involved one Motiva Duo™ duopitch curved roof canopy to an overall size and one Motiva™ Duo duopitch curved roof canopy to an overall size. Both canopies included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.