Inside2Outside Maximise Outdoor Shaded Area for South Kirkby Infant and Nursery School

Pupils and Staff alike at South Kirkby Infant and Nursery School in West Yorkshire are now able to enjoy the outdoors in all weather. This is made possible thanks to the installation of a POCCA school canopy by Inside2Outside.

Inside2Outside, based just outside Cambridge are experts in the design, manufacture and installation of canopies, shelters and walkways. The POCCA range introduced in 2001 is designed specifically for schools and each product is designed to fit the needs of each school it is installed at. The main product – The Qube canopy - allows schools to create multi-purpose outdoor areas for use in any weather. Thanks to the Qube canopy South Kirkby Infant and Nursery School now have a covered outdoor area, suitable for use in any weather.

Marie Johnson oversaw the project for South Kirkby School and commented that what impressed here was the ‘impeccable workmanship and helpful sales advisor.’ Inside2Outside sales advisor James Nottingham managed the project from start to finish and was delighted with the installed Qube Canopy. The 6m by 3m Qube Canopy provides a covered outdoor area that provides protection to those underneath it in all weathers.

Ms Johnson was impressed with the ‘Quick Installation’. The unique design of the Qube allows it to be installed in a matter of days bringing minimal disruption to the school if it is installed in term time. This feature is another reason why the Qube is such an effective canopy for schools.

The Qube has been manufactured with three roof shapes by Inside2Outisde – The Peak, the Apex and the Dome. Now however, it is being manufactured with a Barrel Arch roof shape. This new roof shape adds additional benefits to the canopy. For example, Inside2Outside now combine their structures with Photovoltaics (Solar Power), this is called Tensile PV. The Barrel Arch roof shape is ideal for applying with Photovoltaics. This combination means that your canopy not only provides you with the benefits of a canopy, but also generates electricity! This electricity can be used to reduce energy bills and even generate an income.

How will climate change affect school shade design and development?

There are a number of anomalies in the weather theses days with summers becoming much hotter in many regions in the country. Adequate protection from the sun becomes a crucial factor for outdoor shades. Children especially need to be protected from the harmful UV rays of the sun since they are the ones that spend a lot of time playing in the sun.

Schools and other facilities that cater to children and wish to create outdoor classrooms need to install school shades that will provide adequate outdoor protection from UV radiation. Inside2Outside school canopies are an ideal solution for dealing with hotter climates. The roof of these shelters is made from a tensile fabric that filters out a large percentage of the UV rays from the sun. At the same time, it allows light through so that the shelters are bright during daytime. Hotter summers are not a problem with Inside2Outside shelters.

School Canopies sealed from Wind and Rain

Indeed, a POCCA school canopy can be effectively sealed against wind and the rain. The dsign of the outdoor canopy lends itself to complete flexibility. Whatever the needs of the outdoor school shelter in a specific location area, the POCCa outdor canopy can be custom designed to meet the exact requirements.

The problem with rain and the wind varies across the country, therefore the design of the shelters needs to be adapted according to the weather conditions prevailing in a particular region. The POCCA outdoor schoolc anopies ae so versatile that they can be individually designed for each venue differently. Each and every install is treated differently and appropriate elements such as side panels and even windows can be specified.

Find out more about the great range of POCCA school canopies - www.inside2outside.co.uk/pocca/index.asp

School Canopies

Canopies have a tremendous amount of applications. They can be utilised in a number of different areas, with different purposes. How though do canopies benefit schools?

There are a number if benefits canopies provide to schools;

1 - Provide shade and protection from the sun for pupils and staff
2 - Allow the pupils to enjoy the outside whatever the weather
3 - Help to meet Ofsted requirements
4 - Can be utilised as an outdoor classroom
5 - Provide a waiting area for parents
6 - A safe environment where pupils can play

As well as theses benefits there are many more things that a canopy can benefits the school with.

Inside2Outside have been specialists in the school canopy market for a number of years now. The traditional Qube canopy has been installed in many schools UK wide, and is an ideal canopy for schools.

In line with the continuing change within schools, their budgets and their priorities, Inside2Outside launched a new brand Power2Outside. The Power2Outside brand provides canopies that have solar panels on them and thus generate electricity and an income for the school.

These canopies can pay for themselves and give the schools a guarenteed income for many years.

Why not find out more about these canopies and see why investing in a canopy with Inside2Outside can benefit your school.

Twinkle Toes Nursery Staff and Pupils Delight with Outdoor Canopy by Inside2Outside

Pupils and staff at Twinkle Toes Nursery in Kent are filled with joy since the installation of their outdoor canopy by Inside2Outside. Pupils now have an outdoor covered area which they can use all year round. Staff were particularly pleased as the canopy allowed them to reach some criteria set out by Ofsted.

Inside2Outside have been designing, manufacturing and installing canopies, shelters and walkways for over 15 years. Their POCCA Qube canopy has been installed in hundreds of schools in the UK. Qube canopies are ideal for schools as their be-spoke, robust and aesthetically pleasing design mean they provide the ideal solution for a schools outdoor covered area needs.

Jackie Puxted who oversaw the operation at Twinkle Toes Nursery commented she chose Inside2Outside due to ‘the information’ she received and through ‘speaking to one of the service team who was very pleasant’. After receiving the quote and deciding to go with Inside2Outside planning was required. Inside2Outside offer to do the planning for the canopy on all clients behalf and dealt with the planning all the way through to its completion. Ms Puxted said she was particularly impressed by the sales advisor ‘dealing with all the planning.’

Once planning was approved, install dates were set and on the 8th March the canopy was installed. Twinkle Toes Nursery purchased a 6m by 3m Qube Canopy with a double dome roof. Ms Puxted has already seen the benefits to the children from the canopy, stating ‘the benefits are great for all the children that attend the nursery...and has enabled us to further the children’s excitement and to have access to the outside at all times.’

Customer feedback is extremely valued by Inside2Outside. In line with this the sales advisor who deals with the school goes back on a courtesy after sales visit to make sure the customer is happy and to gather their thoughts.

Sales advisor Matt Stubbs who dealt with the project was particularly happy with the finished canopy when on the after sales visit at Twinkle Toes. The feedback was extremely positive and Ms Puxted commented that she was delighted as ‘the whole team were friendly and any help needed was dealt with quickly.’ She finished that she was going to ‘tell all her colleagues about Inside2Outside.’


For more information on Inside2Outside canopies please contact:

Inside2Outside Ltd.
Manor Farm, Low Road
Fenstanton
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire PE28 9HU
Tel: 01480 498297
Fax: 01480 498303
Web: www.inside2outside.co.uk

Just over a week Left

With only 10 days left until the end of this years Inside2Outside competition time is fast running out for you to enter the competition.

You have the opportunity to win a 4m by 4m POCCA school canopy and second place is an outdoor fitness bundle.

To enter this years competition before it is too late follow the link:

http://www.inside2outside.co.uk/prizedraw2010/competition_201001.asp

Sustainable Canopies - Generate an Income!

How would you like to generate an income from having a canopy in your garden, or a carport? Not only do you get the benefit of having a covered area in which allows you to enjoy the outdoors in all weathers, but you recieve an additional income. How is this possible?

This is all possible thanks to third generation solar power panels - OPV (Organic Photovoltaics) and timely government financial incentives. OPV combined with tensile membrane canopies create a sustainable canopy. How does this canopy make money?

The UK government announced the start of a Feed-In-Tariff initiative in April 2010. The FIT pays the generator of renewable energy a fee for every kilowatt of energy they produce. This fee is then set for 25 years. A sustainable canopy is a multi-purpose strucutre as it wil generate power and keep you sheltered. What's more, you can use the energy produced to charge electrical items, such as your phone or laptop.

For more information on sustainable canopies go to www.skyshades.com.au or for schools interested in this www.inside2outside.co.uk/P2O/index.asp

POCCA School Canopy Associates

We are often asked who to contact in various parts of the country for details and ultimately supply and installation of POCCA canopies for schools.
Firstly the initial point of contact is with the Inside2Outside Head Office.
We then chose the most appropriate of our associates to provide local service for you initially starting with the site visit.
All of our school canopy associates are CRB checked and fully trained by Inside2Outsdie

Inside2Outside Outdoor Canopies Designed to Survive Heavy Snowfalls

This winter has producedof the worst weather in decades, causing hazardous conditions and widespread chaos. Many companies have been forced to close, but for Inside2Outside Ltd and it's outdoor canopies – it has remained business as usual.

We design, manufacture and install protective outdoor canopies and shelters for the Commercial, Care, and Domestic sectors, as well as the mainstay of our business canopies for schools. Each canopy is manufactured using the highest quality materials with safety built in, and despite frequent reports of other suppliers’ canopies failing and even collapsing in the recent heavy snow (see image 1), we remain 100% confident in our products and services.

Managing Director, Dr. Robert Carpenter, comments; “As a major canopy manufacturer we take many steps to ensure that our canopies do not fail, even in the most extreme weather conditions. Firstly, our structures meet all relevant British Standards – particularly snow loading BS 6399 Part 3 - throughout the UK. Secondly, we continually test and improve our products. In addition after installation we have a mandatory safety check to ensure that the canopy has been installed to specification, and will maintain its structural integrity in even the most testing weather conditions.”

Meanwhile, we are introducing further measures to ensure that integrity is guaranteed even further, as well as continuing to expand and provide a second-to-none service to its customers. Without such measures, the structural integrity of outdoor covered areas may be compromised and the risk of damage is almost inevitable, but Qube canopies supplied by I2O are built to weather any storm, standing up to the worst the British climate has to offer.

Image 1: Damaged canopies (not Inside2Outside)

Image 2: Inside2Outside's structurally sound equivalent

Pocca School Canopy Praised By Highfield Community Primary School in Gateshead

Highfield Community PrimarySchool, situated in Highfield, Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, is a 135-place school for students aged from three to eleven years of age. The school provides for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in its Nursery and Reception classes which are accommodated together in the Foundation Stage unit. The nursery draws from a wider geographical area than the school so several children who attend the Nursery join other schools at the start of the reception year. In key stage 1 and 2 pupils are taught in three mixed age classes, each of which covers two school years.

In April 2007 the school moved to a new building, built under the government’s private funding initiative (PFI). Another primary school, St Joseph’s, is housed in the same building and the facilities are shared.

Head Teacher Mr Thompson explains why they wanted a school canopy:

“We wanted a canopy for two reasons; we wanted to put a shelter out there because there’s nowhere for our parents to stand in the morning if it’s raining, they all tend to congregate by the front door which causes problems, so now they can stand under there and still keep an eye on the kids, so they’ve been really positive about it. Also, we wanted a canopy in the nursery area because we wanted it as an outdoor classroom; we need to make sure that the children have got access to outdoor play all year round, not just in the summer, and the comments from both the children and their parents have been very enthusiastic. The installers were very professional, they did the job properly and the area was left very clean and tidy, we’re more than pleased and we’ve had no problems at all. We’d definitely recommend you to other schools because we’ve had such a good experience – the canopies are excellent quality and will last a long time."

and Mrs Whisler, Nursery and Reception teacher added:

“It’s absolutely fabulous, you can see how much they love it. We use the outside area much more now because it’s such a good extension of the classroom. We’ve got these doors wide open, which we never had before, and it defines the area because we can have tables and toys underneath, so it extends what’s happening in the classroom, we love it. The children have just taken to it so well because even if it’s a bit drizzly outside, it doesn’t matter - they can still come out, and it gives so much shade when we do have bright sunshine. I particularly love the leg pads, too, because apart from the children using them for all sorts of play and counting, they’re such a good safety feature. Also, a lot of our parents arrive 10 minutes early and I think it’s nice for them to have somewhere to wait; it shows that we care about them too, we don’t want them standing out in the rain!"

The Qube outdoor classroom and other POCCA school canopy products have always been praised for their aesthetic appeal, their environmentally sound management of rainwater and their affordability. There are very few companies that provide this type of structure, even fewer who provide made-to-measure structures, and certainly none who do so as cost effectively. The Qube is generally recognised by schools as a breakthrough in facilities management.

Pictured top: Canopy outside the nursery classroom

Pictured bottom: The Canopy to protect the parents when it’s raining

Pocca School Canopy Provides Excellent Outdoor Facilities at Kader Primary School

Kader Primary School is located in a residential suburb of Middlesbrough and has more than 380 pupils. Although there is a large playing field attached to the school, its use for curriculum activities often has to be restricted, thanks to the British weather. When the school decided to extend their building, a key requirement was to provide an inside/outside teaching and play area that would not be restricted by poor weather. Extensive discussions were held with the architect and much research was undertaken by the school before a decision was made to employ “Inside2Outside” to provide a Pocca school canopy as part of the works.

Inside2Outside quickly arranged for one of their representatives to visit the school to discuss costs and requirements. It was quickly evident that the company had extensive experience of providing canopies for schools and an appropriate design was chosen which met the school’s needs. Inside2Outside provided details of the canopy and arrangements were then put in place for it to be installed once the building work had been completed. From the school’s perspective, the installation went very smoothly and the resulting canopy has provided excellent outdoor facilities which are used every day by the Early Year Foundation pupils.

Headteacher Lynne Chalk said: “I was very impressed by the maintenance service for our school canopy that Inside2Outside provided. Even when we had to contact the company about some minor damage, several weeks after the canopy had been installed, they were only too happy to visit the school to see what could be done. A repair was undertaken without disrupting the school’s day to day activities. I therefore would have no hesitation in letting others visit the school to see the installation and would recommend the company to other schools.”

Pictured :
The Pocca Canopy at Kader Primary School

Christopher Reeves Lower School installs two new canopies to provide covered walkways

Christopher Reeves is a rural village school, situated a short walking distance from the Church in Podington, Northamptonshire. The school was founded in 1842 and but was built on the current site in 1966 and extended in 2004.

Through DLP Design in Bedford, Inside2Outside received the first enquiry for a 6metre x 6metre canopy with a white domed roof, which was to be used as an outdoor sheltered play area at the school. This was ordered and installed over the 2008 summer holidays, so that the school could use it in when they got back in September for the new school year.

The benefits of Pocca canopies for schools became self evident and Inside2Outside were contacted again and asked to provide canopies that would run round the full length of the back of the school. One constraint was that the structure needed to keep the same roof and height as the original canopy and as a consequence of the constant use of the walkway some of the supports for the structure needed to be moved to allow for drainage and access restrictions.

The covered walkways manufactured and installed by Inside2Outside, are structures with aluminium frames and fabric covers and provide hard wearing, practical, flexible and attractive options for covered passages for exposed spaces. They are tough, require little maintenance and have self-cleaning built into the surface of the covers. providing shade when needed but allowing ample light through in winter.

Headteacher, Sue McNally said: “I was very impressed by the service and quality of product that Inside2Outside provided and the school has already benefitted enormously from the improvements made.”

If you would like more information about our canopies please contact Inside2Outside Ltd.
Tel: 01480 498297 Email: info@pocca.co.uk
Web: www.inside2outside.co.uk

Pictured 1-2: The covered walkways at Christopher Reeves

West Gate Special School Praise the Versatility of the POCCA Qube school canopy

West Gate Special School, situated in Leicester, is a 150-place school for students with a broad spectrum of special educational needs; last year won the first prize in the Inside2Outside national schools competition, winning a 4 metre x 4 metre Pocca Qube canopy for their school with a blue peaked roof worth £5,500.

After enjoying the benefits of it for almost a year, Head Teacher Mrs Anne Standley praised the canopy, explaining how it had enhanced the quality of school life – especially for the wheelchair-bound – creating a focal point for group work and outdoor activities. The whole school has benefitted from the new facility and the new dimension it provides.

“Our students really love the outdoor classrom and we can see the difference it has made to them...many teachers are using it as a focal point for group work and outdoor activities, everyone is enjoying the benefits,” said Mrs Standley.

The Qube and other POCCA school canopies have always been praised for their aesthetic appeal, their environmentally sound management of rainwater and their affordability. There are very few companies that provide this type of structure, even fewer who provide made-to-measure structures, and certainly none who do so as cost effectively. The Qube is generally recognised by schools as a breakthrough in facilities management.

For further information on Inside2Outside or to enter the competition contact Vanessa Reed on:
Tel: 01480 498297
Fax: 01480 498303
Email: vanessa.reed@pocca.co.uk
Web: www.inside2outside.co.uk

Pictured 1: The West Gate Pocca Canopy Competition Winner

Iwade Community Primary School and Bobbing

01.04.09

Iwade and Bobbing Primary Schools in Sittingbourne, Kent, are both shining examples of the benefits of having Inside2Outside Pocca Canopies installed, enabling pupils to take full advantage of outdoorlearning opportunities, whatever the weather.

Iwade School opted for joined canopy structures, measuring17m x 3m and 12m x 4.3m. The school is very happy with the canopies because they are versatile and are used not only as an outdoor play area by the children but also as a walkway between buildings. The structure has allowed the children to access the outdoors all year round, no matter what the weather. It has also attracted the attention of the local Iwade Farmers’ Market, who intend to make full use of it too.

Bobbing Village School ordered their 6m x 3m canopy back in 2006 and were so pleased with it that they ordered another larger one measuring 10m x 6m a year later. They use the canopies primarily for outdoor play but also for storage and to provide shade from the sun for the children.

Outdoor experience in a pupil’s early years is paramount and Pocca canopies for schools provide the ideal opportunity to engage with both the natural and built environment.

If you would like more information about Pocca school canopies please contact Inside2Outside Ltd.
Tel: 01480 498297
Fax: 01480 498303
Email: info@pocca.co.uk
Web: http://www.inside2outside.co.uk/

Wyndham Park Infants School in Salisbury Installs New Outdoor Canopy For Early Years Children

04.03.09

Wyndham Park Infants School in Salisbury has eight classes of happy excited five to seven year olds. Having received a brochure from Inside2Outside detailing their range of outside Pocca School Canopies the Head Teacher and the School’s Board of Governors could immediately envisage the tremendous learning and play possibilities a new canopy offered. It wasn’t long before the decision to have one installed as part of the early years play area became reality, with the intention of it doubling as an outdoor classroom.

The installation was quite tricky as the school is sited on top of a hill where conditions are often very windy, so the foundations for the canopy were dug much deeper than usual to withstand any adverse weather conditions and provide a safe, sheltered play and learning area for the children.

Head Teacher Alison Smith was so impressed with the outcome that she passed the brochure and budget details onto the Chair of Governors of Exeter House Special School, another learning establishment on the same site. Equally impressed, they consequently also went ahead and ordered a new Inside2Outside canopy.

Alison commented: "The speed, efficiency and quality of the installation was superb and for a reasonable cost we have provided the children with a better play area and a new outdoor classroom. I would recommend Inside2Outside to anyone."

If you would like more information about Pocca canopies for schools please contact

Inside2Outside Ltd.
Tel: 01480 498297 Email: info@pocca.co.uk
Web: http://www.inside2outside.co.uk/

Pictured: The new canopy at Wyndham Park Infants

Inside2Outside Maximises Outdoor Learning Potential for Marjorie McClure School in Kent

18.02.09

Inside2Outside Ltd has spent a number of years designing and developing its range of Pocca school canopies, shelters and walkways to maximise the potential of outdoor spaces in schools in order to create areas to accommodate learning, play and social interaction. Leveraging this potential was a key objective of the brief set by Marjorie McClure School in Kent, a specialist school for Physical Development focusing on raising the standard of physical development of all pupils through work in English, Maths, PSHE and PE removing the barriers to learning for all pupils across the curriculum.


The combination of aluminium and tensile fabric membrane construction of the Pocca school canopies creates unique and versatile waterproof structures with protective UV filters. For teachers of children with special learning requirements, however, there are many more things to consider - for example, the needs of pupils with varying levels of mobility and independence, those with visual and hearing impairments who use different means of communication, as well as other factors which might cause them to feel vulnerable in exposed surroundings.


Head teacher Denise James-Mason commented; “It’s been a real bonus; it’s hard to remember a time when we didn’t have it,” she explains “We know now more than ever about the dangers of being out in the sun, but from our point of view, being able to do activities safely outside as well as in has been a big improvement... we actually have one child who reacts very badly to sunlight so we really have to be careful with her.... this is ideal because it keeps the sun off you and gives you somewhere cool, plus it’s big enough for the kids to move around freely,” Even the brightly-coloured protective leg pads chosen by the school have specific benefits; “we had the red and yellow leg pads especially for visually- impaired pupils because apparently that combination of colours gives the best contrast... and of course, because the shelter isn’t very heavy, we only have 4 exposed legs, so we’ve had no accidents.” As well as a teaching area, the canopy at Marjorie McClure has become a focal point for sports events and social interaction, as the Head continues to explain. “We do lots and lots of sports events, sports days and things, and it’s just
been wonderful.” The school has since ordered the roller mesh blinds for the sides of the canopy so that they can use it as a partially enclosed area.


Other added benefits of the Pocca school canopy include the speed of construction and that it is immediately ready for use after erection. The most important thing, of course, is that if the children are under the canopy, you know they are safe.

If you would like more information about Pocca canopies please contact
Inside2Outside Ltd.
Tel: 01480 498297 Email: info@pocca.co.uk
Web: www.inside2outside.co.uk
Pictured 1 & 2 & 3: Pocca Canopy at Marjorie McClure School in Chislehurst