When analysing student performance, classroom design is not often considered an important contributory factor. However, attentively designed classrooms can improve students’ well-being, focus and communication skills.

In fact, a study by researchers at the University of Salford found that learning environments could impact pupils’ performance by 25%.

How classroom design can impact student learning 

Colour 

Different colours affect the way we see and process information. Filling a classroom with colours that promote learning, communication and confidence is a great way to boost student wellbeing and help children concentrate.

Bright colours such as red and yellow can inspire energy and creativity, but can be easily overstimulating for children who have attention issues or are neurodivergent.

Therefore, a great strategy is to use bright colours to direct attention to specific areas of interest in the classroom. Then, you can pair them with more calming, muted colours like dark blues and greens to create a learning environment that is both relaxing and inspiring.

All of our fibre bonded carpets come in an impressive range of colours. The education industry’s long standing favourite Supacord range comes in 42 colours from bright Emerald to earthy Pebble.

Understanding how patterns and textures can work to provide different effects is a key part of sensory development for young children. Smooth, shiny textures can be interesting, but for flooring, a softer surface will be more comfortable.

Patterns can provide pockets of inspiration, especially in hallways and transition spaces. Different types or colours of carpet can be used to make creative patterns that can also function as break out areas or queuing prompts. Our Array and Broadrib ranges can be combined to do just that, like in this corridor space from St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School:

 

Acoustics 

The noise level in a classroom can significantly impact how well children can learn.

A study from the Centre for Educational Neuroscience found that children under 8 years old with low selective attention skills struggled to concentrate in a classroom environment with loud levels of background noise.

Furthermore, high levels of classroom noise can be frustrating as well as distracting for both students and teachers, and lead to less engagement and proactive teamwork.

Flooring is a cost-effective way to make a space as quiet as possible. Fibre-bonded carpet can absorb airborne noise by up to 30%, improving classroom acoustics.

Our bestselling Supacord range reduces background noise by up to 22dB with specially designed acoustic backing.

This noise reduction can improve children’s ability to focus on their work, and allow them to feel relaxed and nurtured in their learning environment.

Comfort 

Children in England spend on average 635 hours in the classroom every year. Therefore, classrooms must be comfortable inviting spaces that children are excited to be in.

Our fibre-bonded carpets provide a layer of cushioning that forms a comfortable surface for children sitting on the floor. Its anti-ravel and anti-fray technologies prevent slips and falls and make it a hard wearing and cost-effective flooring option.

Many different choices go into creating the perfect classroom design. Flooring is key to maximise possibilities in a space, as it is a cost-effective way to insert colour into a room whilst making the classroom more noise-absorbant and comfortable.

Heckmondwike FB is one of the UK’s leading commercial carpet manufacturers with over 40 years of experience in the education sector. To learn more, or request a free carpet sample, please contact 01924 406 161 or email sales@heckmondwike-fb.co.uk.  

Since children have returned to the school environment, many academic professionals have reflected their concerns over the impact that lockdown had on learning. In fact, a survey by Young Minds revealed that almost three-quarters of teachers feel students’ mental health has been affected.

Communication is key to a smooth and positive transition back to the classroom. This blog explores how important sound is in the classroom, to ensure this happens.

Classroom Communication

 

While children benefit enormously from flexibility and comfort, they also need strong acoustics. This partly came down to classroom design – for example, 30% of students learn less if they are sat in the back row.

Sound absorption eliminates distractions and gives children the chance to immerse themselves in their environment. According to a Euronoise study, bad classroom acoustics can lead to ill health, vocal disorders or hearing damage in teachers, and concentration and behavioural issues in students.

Acoustics and Additional Needs

 

Myriad studies suggest that children with additional needs may benefit from better acoustics. For example, children with autism may be prone to anxiety when there are too many audible distractions. Softer surfaces help to absorb this sound, while designated ‘quiet areas’ with different carpet designs may help with individual learning.

In particular, sirens, whistles, bells, alarms and machinery can cause “sensory overload” for these children. This can affect their behaviour and inhibit their learning. Many traditional classrooms have considerations for disabilities such as wheelchair ramps, but overlook the importance of acoustics.

A Sound Decision

 

Flooring of a high standard can help to prevent “reverberation time”, which is a measure of the time it takes for volume to drop to 60dB after the noise has been made. Traditional classrooms with high ceilings and hard surfaces tend to bounce sound around, which can be distracting for students and can affect their ability to hear their teacher. Quite simply, if students cannot hear, they cannot learn.

By installing an absorbent carpet like our Supacord range, schools can naturally eliminate loud noise. Tested to BS EN ISO 140-8, Supacord delivers a 19dB reduction in impact noise across both sheet and tile ranges. Further to this, the range is available with acoustic backing, which delivers a 22dB reduction.

Heckmondwike FB is one of the UK’s leading commercial carpet manufacturers with over 40 years experience in the education sector. To learn more, or request a free carpet sample, please contact 01924 406 161 or email sales@heckmondwike-fb.co.uk. 

According to the American Society of Interior Designers, carpets are 10 times more efficient in reducing sound than other flooring types. Experts also believe carpet can reduce airborne noise by up to 35%, as well as destroying the reverberation and echo in a room.

There are many reasons why noise reduction in spaces has positive outcomes. For example, it can help users of a space feel relaxed and cosy, as well as focused and motivated.

In this blog, our commercial carpet company explores the acoustic benefits of carpet, and why it is a sound decision to install it in spaces.

Better communication

 

One of the ways that carpet controls noise levels is through controlling reverberations. This means that noise is less likely to echo in and around carpeted spaces, making them feel welcoming and relaxing.

Laminate, wood and tile flooring cannot control reverberations, as sound bounces off instead of being absorbed. This can completely destroy the atmosphere of a space, making it feel empty, uninviting and noisy.

Therefore, it’s important that any flooring or facilities management specialist takes this into consideration. Especially in busy environments, such as classrooms, colleges, large office developments and residential spaces. Most of our carpet tiles tested under BS EN ISO 140-8 and produce favourable results, meaning they can drastically reduce noise in spaces such as this.

Relaxing and tranquil

 

Researchers suggest that silence is even more relaxing than listening to music, and can release tension held in the body. It is incredibly important that users of a space feel comfortable in their environment, and carpet can help to achieve this.

As carpet can drastically reduce noise levels, a space can become a hub of tranquility. In the office and classroom, a more relaxed atmosphere can raise the overall morale of space users and reduce stress.

As well as the acoustic benefits it has, carpet has incredible insulation properties, allowing heat to be trapped to make a space cosier. The carpet tiles in our Array and Supacord range are part of a thicker and denser fibre-bonded range, for added insulation and acoustic benefits.

Stay Focused

 

Less noise and sound reverberation means that people tend to be more focused, which in turn, boosts productivity. This makes carpet the perfect choice for the education sector. A noisy environment can be a huge distraction to anyone trying to learn, listen or work. If sound levels are kept low, people will be happier and the results will speak for themselves.

The right colours choices can also help students to concentrate and stay focused. According to colour psychology experts, the colour green in the classroom can evoke these effects. The carpet tiles in our Supacord range provide a wide ranging colour bank, making them perfect for inspirational educational facilities. Supacord is also available with an acoustic backing, reducing the need to install expensive specialist underlay.

Contact our expert team for more tips to transform your space and for more information about our extensive product range. Call 01924 406 121 or email sales@heckmondwike-fb.co.uk .