Wilkinson Primary School in the West Midlands Install New Shade Sail

What was the project brief?

Wilkinson Primary School in Bilston was making a Viking longboat out of willow and wanted to turn it into a covered outdoor area and classroom. They needed a canopy to protect this wooden boat from the sun and the rain, and to work as the sail! A&S Landscape was really excited by this idea and couldn’t wait to get started on the project when the school contacted them.

What was our shade sail solution?

A&S Landscape discussed the various possibilities with the school’s staff, and they eventually decided that the Maxima Sail™ would be the right option for them and their pupils. They asked for it to be built to specifications of 6000mm X 6000mm with Grey steelwork, plus Poppy fabric for the sail. This model was a fantastic choice for their needs, because the brightly coloured waterproof fabric would look stunning as a sail for their Viking longboat and would offer great protection from the elements. This meant that their beautiful structure wouldn’t be damaged by rainy British winters or the sun in the summer. The shade sail could also be used in a variety of ways, from forming an outdoor classroom to a covered play area.

What was the result of their shelter?

Wilkinson Primary School absolutely adores their new fabric canopy. Combined with their brilliant longboat, the shade sail looks innovative and eye-catching. This covered area can now be used to offer outdoor learning, play and more to the school’s pupils throughout the year, adding something new and stimulating to their educational experience while shielding them from wind, rain and UV rays. It is a great addition to their facilities. A&S Landscape thoroughly enjoyed working on this project and wishes the school all the best in their adventures on the high seas!

How does childhood obesity negatively effect children and what can schools and parents do to combat this?

Children are usually not in charge of the food they consume or the exercise they undertake. Furthermore, when they exercise, the respiratory implications and body weakness can result in embarrassment amongst their peers as they find it difficult to move. Though, it is critical to aid healthier eating, more exercise, and assist a child who lives with obesity in tackling the depression, anxiety, stigma, and the health and academic consequences connected with obesity, which is a task much more critical than it first appears.

We can clarify some of the fixes Dame Sally Davies states in her report: Time To Solve Childhood Obesity into three factors.

• Children need to play outside.

• Children need access to a balanced diet.

• Schemes need to be set in motion by schools, manufacturers, health services, town planners and politicians to create better opportunities for children to have access to outside play and healthy food regardless of their social-economic position.

Discover how we can accomplish these solutions and more over on our full article page.

About the client

Wilkinson Primary School is based in Bilston, a market town in the West Midlands. The town became well-known for the craft of enamelling in the 18^th century, and it was dramatically transformed during the Industrial Revolution which brought coal mining to the area. Today, local people can enjoy the attractions of the nearby city of Wolverhampton, which include theatres, art galleries and shopping centres. Pupils growing up in the area have many different aspects of culture and society to explore, thanks to this bustling city.

The school itself has the motto ‘Show Pride and Respect in All That We Do’, and their whole community strives to demonstrate this in their actions and behaviour. They say on their website that their curriculum is designed to provide children with ‘a love for learning and a desire to find out more, so they can reach their full potential’. A&S Landscape loved helping this creative and thoughtful institution provide a new outdoor facility for their pupils.

What are the advantages of outdoor classrooms?

An outdoor classroom is an external shelter that creates a covered space for learning, outside of traditional indoor environments. They have many benefits for both staff and pupils.

• They provide more learning space – outdoor classroom buildings can open up new areas for teaching and reduce pressure on existing facilities. This is especially useful for schools with a rising number of pupils.
• They help children’s education – spending more time in nature and learning outdoors encourages younger pupils’ curiosity, which aids their later education. For example, it helps them to explore different perspectives in more comprehensive subjects like History, Science and English. This, in turn, leads to better engagement and information retention.
• They aid mental health – being outside is well-known to be beneficial to mental health, wellbeing and stress levels. Children often struggle with this at some point in their school careers, but this can be alleviated by helping them to get outdoors frequently.
• They offer protection from the elements – shelters can shield pupils from the rain and wind, so they can learn outside beneath a permanent structure in all seasons and not have their education affected by the changeable British weather.
• They can improve a school’s architecture – outdoor classrooms can be created from a huge range of designs and colours to complement and add to the look of a school. Shade sails provide a modern focal point for schools’ outside areas, for example, and can be installed with everything from Celestial Blue waterproof fabric to Lime Fizz shade cloth. Whether your intuition would benefit most from bright colours or more subtle designs, you can easily find the perfect model.

Want to know more about creating outdoor classrooms and how they could benefit your school? Call us now on 01743 444100 and the A&S Landscape team will help you find your ideal canopy cover.

Why consider A&S Landscape?

By choosing A&S Landscape as your shelter supplier, you’ll discover a company you can trust. With over 44 years of trading as a family business, you can rely on us to build an honest relationship with you, always be approachable and get things done. If you’d like to find out more about our product range or the applications of our canopies, simply contact us by email at [email protected] or call 01743 444100.

Continue reading about more of our projects based in the West Midlands

Thornton Junior School Add Playground Sail Shade

A&S designed a shade sail at Thornton Junior School Ward End, Birmingham, West Midlands. The full contract involved one Shade Cloth Fabric including for tension mechanisms.

Cantilever Canopy Designed for The Streetly Academy

We made a straight polycarbonate roof canopy and a cantilever canopy in The Streetly Academy Queslett Road East, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. These included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Bespoke Motiva Linear™ monopitch roof canopy measuring 9200mm x 6000mm and one Bespoke Motiva™ Cantilever linear roof canopy measuring 42000mm X 2000mm.  These included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Mereside Farm Children’s Nursery Add Shelter to Outdoor Playground

A&S constructed a cantilever canopy for Mereside Farm Children’s Nursery Shirley, West Midlands. The contract included one Motiva Cantilever™ monopitch straight roof canopy measuring 7000mm X 3000mm including with Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.

Two Fabric Canopies Installed at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

Our engineers made two StarSails in Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Brays Lane, Coventry, West Midlands. The job involved two Maxima StarSail™ tensile shadecloth fabric structure supported on a single upright measuring 4000mm X 4000mm and two post pads.

Sowe Valley School Add Fabric Roof Shelter

Our team created a StarSail in Sowe Valley School Princethorpe Way, West Midlands. The full contract involved the supply and installation of one Maxima StarSail™ tensile shadecloth fabric structure supported on a single upright measuring 5000mm X 5000mm.

Moat House Primary School Install Two Canopies with Polycarbonate Roofing

Our engineers built two straight polycarbonate roof canopies for Moat House Primary School Coventry, West Midlands. The job involved two Motiva Linear™ straight roof canopies each measuring 4150mm X 3300mm and included for our Alu-Tuff™ aluminium box profile guttering and downpipes in matching Dura-coat™ colour finish.