Nottingham Girls’ High School Add Fabric Playground Canopy

What was the project brief?

Nottingham Girls’ High School highly value outdoor learning and encourage all of their pupils to embrace the great outdoors. To allow the younger nursery pupils to use their playground throughout the school year, the staff decided to add an area of shade and shelter. A&S Landscape was asked to design a canopy which would provide protection from both the rain and sun.

What was our shade solution?

It was decided to use our Maxima Sail product, one of our most popular fabric designs. The structure was made of one 5m x 5m square sail, made with a waterproof PVC material in Ultramarine Blue. The four uprights were finished in a subtle Dusty Grey, which contrasts well with the brightly coloured fabric. The school also choose to add post pads to each of the uprights, adding an additional layer of protection for the young pupils.

We worked closely with the fantastic team at Nottingham Girls’ High School to design a shade sail which would provide enough cover for the pupils. As well as being a practical solution, our Maxima Sail also makes a design statement and works perfectly in its surroundings of the campus.

What was the result of their new playground canopy?

The young pupils already love the shade sail, and it has quickly become a very popular spot during playtimes. When the sun is too hot, or if it starts to rain, the children can continue playing outside by moving under the shelter. This allows them to enjoy some fresh air during the school day, helping them to refresh ahead of their next lessons.

About the client

Based near Nottingham city centre, Nottingham Girls’ High School takes in pupils from the age of three to 18, providing an enriched education which challenges stereotypes.

We love seeing that more and more schools are recognising the true importance of outdoor learning and play, especially at a young age. It’s great knowing that our sail has allowed the pupils to enjoy their outside space, even in poor weather conditions. As well as their playground area, the high school also offers a developed green space where team building and physical challenges are often held.

The Benefits Of Outdoor Learning on Students and Teachers

There are a plethora of benefits of learning outdoors which help students as well as teachers. A factor that is regularly neglected is the teacher’s enjoyment of teaching lessons and how the option to teach outside can be just as captivating for them as it is for students. Being in an outdoor surrounding is healthy and leads to positivity for teachers which is generally reflected in their lessons and the way they teach. If a teacher is uninspired, that loss of spirit can carry over into their lessons but putting them in contact with nature can effectively adjust the way they think about teaching.

A contented 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 opportunity to explore this together and brings with it a positive sense of freedom. Improving engagement in school is something every teacher is looking to do and with an shelter from A&S Landscape, it’s made much simpler. The more focussed students are with their learning, the more their skills advance and the more assured they become in their abilities.

Click here to find out more about the various benefits of learning outside.

Why invest in a playground canopy?

You can rely on A&S Landscape for stunning play area canopies developed with children in mind. Our range of canopies and shade sails are great for playgrounds giving children with the opportunity to play and learn outside no matter the weather conditions, so they can enjoy free flow play in addition to outdoor teaching all-year-round.

Schools throughout the UK appoint A&S Landscape to design, manufacture and install their brightly coloured playground canopies, safe in the knowledge they are providing crucial protection from the harmful UV rays of the sun as well as giving pupils access to the fresh air of the outdoors in times of poor weather. Our play area shelters are great for transforming once unused areas into attractive, welcoming spaces that can be used all-year-round.

Outdoor canopies are also often used by teachers during lessons. This alternative learning environment will help to engage children as they get the opportunity to learn outside of the four walls of a classroom. It also means staff won’t have to plan around the unpredictable British weather.

Why choose A&S Landscape for your shelter?

With over 40 years of experience, we’ve grown a reputation for our reliability, integrity and efficiency. We’ve formed close relationships with Headteachers, Site Managers and Governors, often returning to past clients to install further canopies and shelters.

As we’ve grown, we’ve designed innovative products for an ever-changing market, initiated further brands and widened our regional coverage as we’ve developed our ever-increasing client list. From covering outdoor seating areas at public attractions to designing bespoke solutions for schools. Our team will be able to help advise you on the best product for your requirements, no matter how big or small.

We know schools often face tight budgets, and so we will strive to work with you to find a design and a price which works for you. We also offer various finance options to help schools and businesses of every size to get the canopy they need.

We have every outdoor experience covered with a range of canopies, shade sails and bicycle storage solutions to meet any requirement. It’s our on-time service that builds our ever-growing list of satisfied customers. We’d be glad to include you.

Get in touch with us today to start your next project. Call us on 01743 444100 or email [email protected].

Take a look at other canopy projects we have completed in Nottingham

Green Playground Shelter Designed for Burntstump Seely Academy

Working with our building contractor client A&S erected two straight polycarbonate roof canopies for Burntstump Seely Academy, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. The job involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 9000mm X 4000mm and one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 4000mm X 4000mm.

Lynncroft/Lawrence View Primary School Add Straight Roof Canopy

In collaboration with our building contractor client we built a straight polycarbonate roof canopy in Lynncroft / Lawrence View Primary School, Walker Street, Eastwood, Nottingham. The job involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 17500mm X 2400mm with Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Secure Bike Storage Created For Ashby School

We designed a cycle store for Ashby School, Nottingham Road, Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire . The job involved one Cyclo ‘City’ cycle store unit measuring 12320mm x 2000mm allowing for 15 cycle racks to accommodate 30 cycles.

St Anns Well School Install Straight Roof School Shelter in Playground

Working alongside our building contractor client our engineers designed a straight polycarbonate roof canopy in St Anns Well School, Hungerhill Rd, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. The job involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 7600mm X 7000mm with Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Sycamore Academy Add Blue Walkway Canopy

Working alongside our building contractor client A&S constructed a straight polycarbonate roof canopy in Sycamore Academy, St Anns, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire . The contract included the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 13500mm X 3500mm and 2500mm X 1500mm with Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School Add Shade to Play Area With Canopy

Working for our building contractor client A&S built a canopy in Holy Trinity Catholic Primary Nursery, 94 Boundary Road, Nottinghamshire . The job involved supply and installation of two polycarbonate sheets to existing single cycle store, including for the dismantling and removal of the existing sheeting.

Polycarbonate Canopy Designed for The Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy

Working alongside our building contractor client we erected a straight polycarbonate roof canopy for The Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy, Aspley, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. Full details are: one Motiva™ Cantilever straight roof canopy measuring 2400mm X 1800mm The contract included one Motiva™ Cantilever straight roof canopy measuring 2400mm X 1800mm.

St Johns C Of E Primary School Add Playground Shade with Canopy

Working for our building contractor client we erected a straight polycarbonate roof canopy for St Johns C Of E Primary School, Worksop, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 11400mm X 5820mm

Willow Brook Primary School Install Fabric Umbrella in Play Area

Working for a commercial partner our engineers created a playground umbrella at Willow Brook Primary School, Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. The job involved the supply and fitting of one Maxima™ waterproof Umbrella structure supported on a single upright measuring 8000mm X 8000mm.