The Pingle Academy in Derbyshire Add a Pair of Dining and Social Canopies

What was the project brief?

The Pingle Academy in Swadlincote, Derbyshire wanted to create two covered dining and social areas to alleviate pressure on their indoor facilities. They decided that canopies would be the best way of achieving this, but they needed to really benefit the students, look good and fit in the budget. After the school contacted them, A&S Landscape immediately got to work on figuring out the best way to meet all of these needs.

What were our shelter solutions?

Following a consultation about their requirements and the types of shelters they were interested in, the team at The Pingle Academy chose two Motiva Duo™ models. The first was built to specifications of 18000mm X 8000mm – a canopy that offered extensive space beneath it for a dining area. The second was installed in the internal quad and A&S Landscape also provided 24 recycled plastic picnic benches.

Between the two shelters, the school had ample facilities for students to enjoy eating and socialising with friends, which would give those in the indoor dining hall some much-needed elbow room. The Motiva Duo™ has a symmetric curved roof design which is ideal for dining areas, and The Pingle Academy coloured their canopies with Opal roofs and Slate Grey steelwork. This was a classic design choice that complemented the existing buildings and brought a modern, inviting touch to the outdoor space. The school was impressed with the cost-effective shelters and how they added something special to their students’ days.

What was the result of their new canopies?

The Pingle Academy is delighted with the dining and social shelters; they really bring the ‘wow’ factor and offer fantastic new areas where students can relax on their well-earned breaks from lessons. They can be used at lunchtimes as outdoor dining halls to keep indoor facilities from becoming cramped or overstretched, or even as outdoor classroom buildings when teachers want to get creative with the children’s learning. A&S Landscape was thrilled to hear that the students are enjoying their new outdoor spaces and hopes that they will help to relieve some of the pressures of school life.

Testimonial

“The installation team worked to a very high standard. We are very happy with the end result, thanks to the clean and tidy workmanship.”

– The Pingle Academy

About the client

The Pingle Academy is situated in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, in the heart of the National Forest. The town has a rich potting and mining history, which can be discovered at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum. Nowadays, local people such as students at The Pingle Academy can enjoy a variety of leisure opportunities at Swadlincote Ski and Snowboard Centre, Green Bank Leisure Centre and several local parks and woodlands.

The academy offers both secondary and post-16 education and is proud to remove barriers to learning and progress for all young people. They say on their website that they ‘aim to provide all students with a broad, balanced curriculum, which provides the knowledge and skills students need for the next stage in their learning’. The Pingle Academy also values links with carers, parents and the wider community. A&S Landscape very much enjoyed working with such a considerate client and installing canopies that would help to enrich the school lives of their students.

How can canopies help with rising intake figures and cramped facilities?

With increasing populations comes increasing numbers of children, and this can sometimes present issues for schools. It can be difficult to continue to offer enough space and the best facilities to all students without adding extensions or completely new buildings. This is where canopies come in.

Indoor dining areas can quickly become overcrowded, but dining shelters allow schools to provide new outdoor spaces for students to eat and socialise in. They can be used throughout the year thanks to their sturdy steelwork and roofs, so facility options won’t be affected by the weather! The Department for Education was charged to create 420,000 much-needed school places between 2016 and 2021, and the Covered MUGA™ is another great solution to make this transition easier. Some indoor sports halls simply can’t provide the capacity for all students to enjoy a range of sports, but this model offers a spacious outside area where children can exercise and play games in every kind of weather – due to its wide span cover and curved or pitched roof design. Shade sails can also be a wonderful way of ensuring that every child can always play and learn outdoors – via a playground shelter or outdoor classroom gazebo – no matter how much a school grows.

Are you considering installing a shelter at your school to help with rising intake figures? Give A&S Landscape a call on 01743 444100 today and we’ll get you on your journey to finding the ideal solution.

What types of clients does A&S Landscape work with?

We enjoy providing a huge range of organisations with custom canopies to suit their requirements and solve their problems. From healthcare sites to secondary schools and from local authorities to garden centres, you can find out more about our previous clients here. Contact us on 01743 444100 or email [email protected] to discuss your shelter options in detail with our friendly team.

Continue reading about our other canopy installations located in Derbyshire

William Gilbert CE Endowed Primary School Add Straight Roof Canopy

A&S made a straight polycarbonate roof canopy in William Gilbert CE Endowed Primary School Duffield, Belper, Derbyshire. The job involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 5900mm X 4700mm and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Fabric Shade Sail Designed for Arboretum Primary School

Our team designed a waterproof sail structure at Arboretum Primary School Derby, Derbyshire. The job involved one 6000mm x 6000mm Maxima™ tensile waterproof fabric sail structure comprising of one square sail on four uprights including for all stainless steel fixtures and fittings and four post protection pads.

Dronfield Co-Op Create Outdoor Sheltered Area With Canopy

Working for our building contractor client our team erected a straight polycarbonate roof canopy for Dronfield Co-Op Dronfield, Derbyshire. The job involved the supply and installation of one Motiva™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 17600mm X 2800mm and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Bishops Lonsdale School Add Entrance Canopy to Front of Building

In combination with our contractor client our engineers erected an entrance canopy in Bishops Lonsdale St Albans Road, Derbyshire. The full contract involved one Motiva Entro™ curved roof canopy measuring 3000mm X 2500mm and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes which were coated in a matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Entrance Canopy Designed for Ripley Academy

In collaboration with our contractor client A&S designed an entrance canopy at Ripley Academy Peasehill, Ripley, Derbyshire. The job involved one Motiva Entro™ curved roof canopy measuring 2800mm X 1200mm with glazed side panels and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.