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FEATURE FOCUS: SCHOOL MAINTENANCE & DESIGN


comfortable as possible, as soon as possible, and if designed correctly, a ‘welcome zone’ can give students an immediate sense of relaxation. To achieve this, we recommend including soft textures and warm, welcoming colours – such as soft greens and blues, since these are friendly and positive shades without being overwhelming - as this will relieve feelings of anxiety that are often triggered by the bright colours in conventional classroom environments.


Kitchen and Dining Area Including a kitchen area encourages children to take regular drink breaks Incorporating a dining area also encourages socialising and working in small groups, which can help those who do not work harmoniously with other learners integrate back into the traditional classroom.


Play Zone For pupils that learn best through interaction and play, a dedicated section for this gives them space to explore their creativity through these means. Having this as a separate space also benefits those who work best in a quiet setting, as they will be kept apart from the more loud and active play area.


Relaxation Zone A space for those who like to think and practice mindfulness would benefit from calming colours, such as blue and green. Green is a tranquil colour and instantly instils a sense of balance and calm. Sky blues and grass greens also help bring nature into the space and these colours instantly make closed spaces feel bigger - as they are receding colours that connect us with the great outdoors, so walls visually melt away.


Concentration Zone A zone that offers children space to focus is ideal for those who work best alone. When designing a concentration zone, consider adding the strongest hue as a feature colour on the teaching wall to boost focus. Replace white walls and other surfaces, which can often result in glare, with kinder, paler hues to complement the feature wall and reduce eye fatigue. It is also important to consider how the décor


throughout the room can encourage concentration and offer a sense of comfort and homeliness. For example, comfy furnishings in muted hues, lush greenery and lots of natural light can help to enhance a sense of peace and encourage concentration.


Picking the right paint As well as colour, the type of paint used also needs to be carefully considered. Schools are high traffic environments and the paint chosen therefore needs to be durable to account for the number of children passing through corridors and classrooms – and withstand everyday knocks and scuffs. For the walls, opt for products such as Dulux Trade Diamond Matt that are designed for high durability and will help to ensure that the professional finish applied lasts the test of time. Dulux Trade Diamond Matt is also easily wipeable, making cleaning and removing marks effortless. On the ceilings, look to products like Dulux


Trade Vinyl Matt that offer remarkable colour retention and an ability to cover up stains. Finally, for any woodwork, Dulux Trade Quick Dry Gloss will provide a great sheen, while Dulux Trade Metalshield Gloss can finish metal and pipework. The durable finishes of both these paints make them ideal for busy school environments, while the Metalshield Gloss comes with eight years of guaranteed protection from corrosion and other environmental factors, keeping the room usable and pristine for longer.


Putting it into practice These ideas were taken into account when designing a ‘nurture room’ at Windrush Primary School in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The goal was to create a room that felt homelier than a conventional classroom and provide space for children to be themselves without the fear of making mistakes in front of their fellow classmates. Following feedback from students at the school about what they struggle with in conventional classrooms, and understanding their attitudes towards learning, the Senior Leadership Team at the school recognised a need for this room to be quieter – abandoning the bright, stimulating colour schemes of other classrooms within the school, to give children who struggle with concentration the breathing space to focus on one thing at a time. For this project, Dulux Trade colour consultants


curated a bespoke colour scheme that roused a sense of calm. Graduated colours were used throughout the room, with each blue, green and grey shade fading into a soothing off-white. The calmness of the design, alongside the learning methods adapted for each pupil’s needs, helped


June 2022


to ready learners for integrating back into classroom life. Hannah Morgan, project lead at Windrush


Primary School, says: “The nurture room has provided a space for us to completely rethink our approach to dealing with behavioural issues. The new space accommodates a dedicated learning mentor and adheres to policy changes in line with revised systems that enables the room to work for a broad range of pupils’ needs…Teachers are now more thoughtful of and better placed to consider the needs of these children when planning the use of the room, whilst learner strategies developed in the room are being transferred to the classroom to benefit the entire school.” It is hoped by both Windrush Primary School


and the Dulux Trade team that other schools will look at and learn from this project, and understand the importance of classroom design and the benefits of including the learners themselves in the design process. Dawn Scott, Commercial Colour Consultant at


Dulux Trade, says: “We encourage schools to review their teaching and learning strategies to consider an assessment that optimizes the design of all critical learning spaces. Our work with schools nationwide shows wide ranging improvements in learning and behavioural outcomes, achieved by harnessing expert application of colour and design as part of a school’s holistic support system. The fantastic results of the Windrush Primary School exemplify what can be achieved by fusing design of the physical space with the teaching content, enabling schools to offer multi-faceted environments, equipped to support more complex learning requirements.” It is vital that schools consider how they can


better support pupils with additional behavioural or educational needs, with the introduction of dedicated learning spaces designed to meet their needs. Utilising more calming colour palettes into classroom environments can help these students to concentrate on the work in hand and avoid over stimulation from the bold, bright colours used in traditional classroom designs.


To find out more about Dulux Trade visit: uhttps://www.duluxtradepaintexpert.co.uk/en/


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