Queenborough School & Nursery Case Study

Queenborough School & Nursery – Queenborough, Kent

Product: 17.04m x 4.65m Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy Commercial Fire Doors Soft Play Safety Surfacing
Canopy Colour: White
Roller Shutter & Doors Colour: Sky Blue 5015
Soft Play Colour: Blue
Estimated Value: £63,000
Completion Date: February 2019
Contractor: Carré Consultancy

The Brief
Queenborough School and Nursery in Kent were looking to upgrade their outdoor space to create an all-weather outdoor learning and play area adjacent to one of their classrooms. As such, they contracted Carré Consultancy to source a supplier to help them create this new area and they chose Able Canopies.

They wanted to create an outdoor area which could be used all year round. This created some challenges; outdoor spaces can become wet and slippery during rainy periods and too much exposure to UV rays can be harmful to our health.

The school already had an existing canopy purchased from another company many years ago which was constructed from timber, yet it was no longer suitable for their requirements. Even though they needed a new school canopy, they were keen to reuse as much of the timber materials from their existing canopy to remain sustainable and generate more facilities for their pupils, whilst keeping costs to a minimum.

At Able Canopies Ltd., we are fully aware of the importance of sustainability and were therefore keen to work with both Carré Consultancy and Queenborough School & Nursery on this project.

Paul Townsend explains: “I was keen to meet the ‘Sustainability Challenge’ with an enthusiastic response that put the original canopy materials to ‘best use’. In so doing, we had discussed the idea of a water feature and a second idea (mainly to use up some of the 7 Posts made available through demolition) which was to take advantage of the Forest school, and to get the children to engage in local wildlife using a weather proof 1080P quality ‘Action Camera’.”

We have many products that can protect from the sun, rain and wind as well as other seasonal weather. It was clear that the best solution for this situation was the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy which will protect staff and pupils from the rain, as well as providing shade and high UV protection from the sun.

The staff at Queenborough wanted the area to look good whilst also offering functionality for lessons and play. As such, we proposed a 17.04m x 4.65m Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy that was supported by rear steel goal posts as the supporting wall was not suitable for a wall mounted structure. It was agreed that the canopy should feature side fills on both ends to block wind driving in from either side of the canopy and would be enclosed along the front with secure roller shutters and commercial fire doors. As we offer the whole package, we were also able to include the supply and installation of soft play safety surfacing underneath and leading to the canopy.

Above: The completed installation with secure roller shutters and commercial fire doors

A canopy with such a high level of protection enables the teachers to completely enclose their outdoor play area when the weather is particularly unpleasant, allowing them to protect their pupils from all the elements when required. It is also perfect for storing equipment securely during the evenings and weekends.

Both the school and Carré Consultancy were thrilled with the proposal of the new canopy and the recycling of the old canopy posts.

All phases went ahead with no problem along the way and all involved were delighted with the end result.

As a result, children can play and learn in safety, while enjoying all the benefits of the outdoor space.

The Outcome of the Recycled Posts
We are able to create two advantageous products for the school from their old canopy which was a bird table with an action camera which could be played back in lessons and a water feature which could be incorporated into outdoor play and learning.

The Bird Table: The bird table featured an action camera that can take both videos and stills and was mounted on a 2m high post which has an upper and lower pulley. The camera is attached to a continuous ‘loop’ and allows the camera body to be raised or lowered to either:
1. enable children to get involved in replacement batteries and SD card handling
2. Capture animal activity at ground level or at any height up to a maximum of 1.8m above ground level.

To encourage birds to visit the table and to record their activities, a second post was installed at 3m from the camera lens (as recommended by manufacturers) and it was fitted with an 800mm x 800mm flat table top, designed to enable unhindered photography of any airborne visitors and their activities.

Above from left to right: The action camera installed onto one of the recycled posts and The view of the bird table from the action camera

The Water Feature: The water feature developed into an interesting array of characteristics that involved a pump which lifts water from the reservoir at the base, to a reservoir at the top. The water is then discharged in a controlled flow rate to a horizontally mounted ‘stage 1’ gutter section. This gutter section includes a central pivot point, where children can pull a handle at either end, to determine the direction that the water flows.

The lower reservoir has sufficient capacity to allow the placement and growth of pond plants and in time, should attract numerous water-borne insects for children to explore and learn about.

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