- March 19, 2022
- Posted by: Blue Cow Digital
- Category: School Canopies
Whether you run an Early Years learning centre or a dedicated nursery, you’ll want to make the best use of your location. While indoor spaces can provide an enclosed area where younger children are easier to keep safe, being able to use outdoor spaces can be advantageous. With more room to play, under supervision children can get active and enjoy the fresh air, but areas must always be safe for those who use them.
The UK enjoys a wide range of different weather, but it isn’t always ideal for health and safety. Kids might love playing under the sun, but its powerful ultraviolet rays can be harmful, especially to young skin. When the weather turns cold, wet and windy there’s more chance of children catching a chill when playing outdoors. Fortunately, an easy solution exists. Nursery school canopies were conceptualised to answer this issue.
Creating a covered area outside, those in charge of nurseries can make the most of their premises. Regardless of the weather, expertly designed canopies built from carefully selected materials can ensure younger children can play safely outside. If you’ve been considering creating a covered playground outside your school nursery, read on to find out more about these ingenious options.
Wondrous variety
No two nurseries are alike, and the same rule applies to the kind of canopy they require. Depending on the size and shape of available play space outside the type of canopy needed can vary greatly. Personal taste is also a factor, while some nurseries may favour canopies featuring their brand colours, others may select bright or pastel colours commonly associated with décor for younger children.
The good news is that canopies come in an impressive range of dimensions, making it easy to find a shelter solution for different spaces. In terms of appearance, there are also different styles of school canopy to select from and designs built to meet a variety of budgets.
Canopies can also be constructed to include any colour chosen by a nursery to create a specific look and feel for play areas. This wide array of options ensures that a school nursery has complete control over how their canopy appears and can ensure it is a perfect solution at a price they can afford.
All-weather protection
As mentioned earlier, nursery school canopies were developed for all-weather use. To achieve this, manufacturers have carefully selected the materials they are made with. While frameworks typically use galvanised steel, the canopies that provide shelter are fabricated from Polyvinyl chloride or PVC for short. Strong yet flexible, PVC makes an ideal material for any canopy as it is entirely waterproof ensuring children playing underneath always stay dry.
Canopies are also designed to protect young children from the sun and the PVC used undergoes a treatment that ensures it is resistant to Ultraviolet rays. The added benefit of this process is that the colours used on a canopy will not fade over time and keep their vibrant appearance.
While the materials and processes used in nursery canopies are important, so is design. Superior canopies are engineered to include integral guttering systems that allow rainfall to drain easily and to avoid any water ingress.
Designed with health and safety in mind
With an understanding that they must protect young children, nursery canopies are crafted to exacting requirements for health and safety. In line with fire regulations, all canopies must be flame retardant and meet the British Standard. Additionally, canopies are designed with anti-fungicidal properties.
It’s understood that areas, where young children are actively playing, must be risk assessed for potential hazards that can cause accidents or injuries. With this in mind, canopy designs like free-standing fixtures can be fitted with padding to provide enhanced protection.
Low maintenance solutions that are built to last
High-quality nursery canopies are designed for many years of use. Steel framed fixtures left outside will rust when exposed to wind and rain, but nursery canopies used galvanised steel that has been hot dipped in zinc protecting it from this corrosive menace. For added protection and a smart appearance, frames are powder coated rather than painted.
Unlike paint which can become chipped and worn over time making fixtures look uncared for, powder coating keeps its appearance indefinitely. Schools and nurseries can select any BS or RAL colour they desire allowing them to match their branding for a professional look.
With no rust treatments to perform and no routine painting required, expertly made nursery canopies can handle the elements and offer an exceptionally low maintenance solution. Fabricated from robust steel, they are also hardwearing offering a significant return to those who invest in them.
School nursery canopies to answer every need
If your educational institution is seeking to install a high-quality and hardwearing nursery school canopy, you can count on us. With over 70 years of hands-on experience, our specialist team have both designed and installed all-weather canopies at nurseries, junior schools, public areas, hotels, pubs, restaurants, golf clubs, theme parks and children’s playgrounds among other locations.
At Ace Shelters, we can supply an extensive array of designs of standard sizes to suit different needs. Offering a full service, we can manufacture, deliver, and safely install your selected playground canopy to meet your needs.
Our qualified team are committed to providing shelter solutions that are second to none. To guarantee satisfaction, we can also offer a complimentary professional site survey, with no obligation to buy. Our certified surveyor can visit your site at a time and date that suits your schedule and provide you with expert advice on the ideal canopy design to suit your needs and guidance on where best to position it. They can also ensure that all canopy installations and designs are always compliant with regulations like the Health and Safety and Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
If you’re now ready to explore some of the possible school canopy solutions available for your nursery and enjoy the benefits of these innovative options, get in touch with us today to discuss your requirements