Shade Sails for Schools

See our featured school shade sail project below

Glenwood School in Essex adds Multiple Shade Sails

What was the project brief?

Glenwood School in Essex has a wonderful play area for children to enjoy during their break times. However, in times of poor weather conditions, the exposed equipment would become unsafe to use. For both their legal responsibility surrounding the children’s safety and to ensure that outside spaces could be enjoyed all year round, the school knew they needed to explore various cover solutions.

Their ideal shelter was to have a colourful focus that would encourage the children to play, as well as the means to provide all the practical benefits, including excellent weather protection. This is where the school decided to approach canopy experts A&S Landscape, with the intention of creating a vibrant, yet effective barrier from the elements. With a wide range of shade structures to choose from, their knowledge was required right from the initial design stage.

What was our shelter solution?

Due to the strong emphasis on the requirement for a bright colour scheme, an ideal solution was the Maxima Sail™. With nine of these canopies installed in total, a sea of colour was created over the play area. The shade cloth and post pads of each structure were manufactured in one of three colours: Traffic Red (RAL NO. 3020), Ultramarine Blue (RAL NO. 5002) and Signal Yellow (RAL NO. 1003). For even more colour contrast, the steelwork was finished in a grey brown Dura-coat™.

A bespoke shade sail can be manufactured to almost any configuration or dimension, with various shape and sizes available to meet requirements. They are cost-effective yet have some of the longest guarantees on the market, making them a popular choice for schools. The shade cloth is 90-98% effective against harmful UV rays, making them an excellent cover solution during the summer months. They are a true statement for school grounds, thanks to their great, dynamic shape that spices up any existing outdoor area.

What was the result of their colourful shade sail array?

The spectacular combination of shade sails has become a real focal point for this vibrant primary school. The play area was marvellous before, but now the outdoor open areas really achieve the added wow factor. With year-round protection from the weather, children can now safely run around outside during their breaks, meaning they are much happier when they come to sit down to lessons. 

Teachers are also taking full advantage of the covered outside spaces, by teaching outside! With fresh air and Vitamin D readily available, the children focus better, have the freedom to be more creative, and are developing further curiosity of the outside world. Quite simply, the shade system is the best place for an effective learning environment.

With the school’s specific needs having been met, we were extremely happy to hear positive feedback from them, telling us how much they loved the new canopies. We know that we have installed one of our leading creative and ingenious solutions that, with its exemplary product-quality, will last a very long time.

About the client

Glenwood School in South Benfleet is a special community school maintained by the Local Authority. There are 210 students who attend this school, from the ages of 3 up until 19. Approximately 60% of the children here are diagnosed with autism and approximately 30% with sensory and/or physical impairments. The school commit to taking a flexible approach to learning, and we are glad that we could have helped in some way, by the installation of the canopies. We know that the shelters will allow the children to learn and play outside for years to come. It was a joy to work with such a caring and friendly team at Glenwood School.

Benefits of teaching outside for children with special needs

Physical benefits

Many children with special needs experience delays in their physical development, whether this is with their coordination, flexibility or muscle strength or tone. However, partaking in physical activity can positively aid their physical development and help to alleviate any barriers they may face. Cardiovascular health improves too, and their ability to endure exercise increases. All of these are directly linked to good health and even increased life expectancy. Having a canopy will allow for that extra space needed to exercise. In addition, being outdoors allows for more natural light absorption, which is especially necessary for children with special needs, who often have Vitamin D deficiencies.

Mental benefits

A common problem found in children with special needs is a lack of self-esteem and self-confidence. Problem-solving is an excellent way to increase feelings of personal satisfaction, and outdoor spaces offer the best learning environment for the set-up of problem-solving tasks. From using planks of wood to reach from one side to the another, to scavenger hunts, there are so many activities that encourage active problem-solving. Teaching needn’t be confined to the walls of the classroom, make each day count!

Social benefits

A covered teaching area helps to address social problems too. The low-stress social space helps to resolve conflict and encourages group work between the children. With the exploration of the outdoors offering up new challenges, feelings of self-advocacy and resilience will begin to develop, and the school will become a much more pleasant place for a child with special needs. The extra room may even allow for a designated space, where a child can take time out should they become stressed. 

How can A&S Landscape help you?

If you’d like help finding a shade system, A&S Landscape has an excellent team on board able to help you find the perfect solution. We have been designing, manufacturing and installing canopies since 1976, and in that time we have catered for all kinds of educational facilities including nurseries, colleges and universities. We understand that each establishment has its own wants and needs, and so we have increased our design flexibility over the years to be able to offer a unique solution for all.

The fabric tensile structure is just one of our wide choice of canopies we have to offer. Shelters can have a polycarbonate roof (straight or curved), can come with side panels, be attached to an exterior wall or have a whole host of additional design features. Whatever your requirements, we have you covered!

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team today to discuss your permanent canopy solution on 01743 444100 or at [email protected].