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ADDING COLOUR TO THE CURRICULUM


Janet Lowe, Head of Marketing UK and Ireland at Forbo Flooring Systems,


discusses how colour is now being used to create a positive learning experience for children and the significant part that flooring can play in a school design.


When remembering our days at school, many may recall a long-standing building, filled with white walls and scratchy blue carpet. However, times have changed.


Evidence-based design (EBD) has come to the forefront of the design of buildings that we learn, work and live in. EBD is the process of basing decisions about the built environment on credible research to achieve the best possible outcomes and using colour as a vital part of this process.


When researching school design, Barrett, Zhang, Moffat and Kobbacy at the University of Salford found that colour was one of 10 factors that positively affected a pupil's learning progression. The various shades used of furniture, wall and floor finishes were all considered as part of the initial study, which stated: "Warm colours may complement the young pupils' extroverted nature, while cool colours enhance the ability to concentrate on learning later.


Taking a whole new approach to educational design, Longmoor School decided to run a competition allowing their pupils to design the flooring, using Forbo’s Flotex colour tile range. The school wanted to challenge the children to take responsibility for their own learning, help them to develop independence and encourage creativity when using colour and pattern. Therefore, when they decided to give the learning areas of the school a fresh new look, it made perfect sense to give the children the opportunity to design the floor.


Mrs Grundy, Headteacher at the school said: “The children all had the freedom to create their own designs and looking at the process they went through and the choices they made was fascinating. It gave us a real insight into how their minds worked - some chose just two or three colours - others chose from across the whole range; we had designs with completely random arrangements of tiles, some which created ‘pictures’ from the tiles, others with a very methodical, mathematical approach using repeated patterns.”


Six-year-old Emma was the winner of the competition thanks to her colourful patchwork design, with Alfie, also aged six, coming a close second. Emma’s design was brought to life with six coloured Flotex tiles, created by Forbo Flooring Systems. These were installed in a random patchwork pattern, in Tangerine, Emerald, Gold, Lagoon, Lilac and Cherry colourways.


Different colours promote various emotions in both adults and children, with the cherry red colour connoting warmth and energy, alongside the lilac, which is said to promote spiritual awareness and vision – ideal for a classroom environment. What’s more, orange is associated with security and fun and green promotes balance and peace.


22 | EDUCATION


The yellow indicates confidence and friendliness, which fits well within the classroom.


Mrs Grundy said: “Emma’s design was a clear winner because through a clever selection of colours and careful combination of random and repeating sections it created a look which was colourful, eye-catching and somehow randomly harmonious. I looked at a number of carpet tile ranges but couldn’t find the choice of vibrant colours I wanted. Then I saw Forbo’s Flotex range and knew it would be perfect. It’s also practical for a busy school setting, thanks to its hardwearing properties, easy maintenance and hygienic benefits. It also has the warmth and comfort of a carpet.”


Flotex is approved by Allergy UK as it has proven to have a positive impact on the lives of allergy sufferers, due to its ability to trap allergens and then safely release them to standard cleaning appliances. Another big advantage of the collection is the extreme performance of the floorcovering, with a product lifetime that surpasses that of ordinary textiles by a factor of six. Moreover, Flotex can be cleaned by using water and a simple detergent — making the maintenance of the floorcovering quick and easy.


Longmoor School is a prime example of a bright and positive environment where children are encouraged to be creative and thrive — once again backing-up the fact that school design doesn’t have to be dull and that colour is certainly key.


www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/flotex. www.tomorrowscontractfloors.com


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