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5 Ways to Enhance Your School Grounds for the New Academic Year

Author: FASTSIGNS® Leeds

The summer holidays are the perfect time for schools to give their grounds a little TLC. Discover 5 easy ways to enhance your school with branded signs and graphics for the new academic year, in this blog from visual communications experts, FASTSIGNS® Leeds.

With the end of the academic year fast approaching, schools are beginning to make plans for the year ahead. Summer is always a busy period for the FASTSIGNS® Leeds installation team, as we spend time working with local schools on their interior and exterior branding.

interior and exterior branding

The summer holidays present a useful opportunity for schools to give their grounds a bit of TLC while the kids are away. And what better way to welcome in the new term than with fresh, engaging signs and graphics.

There are plenty of ways to brighten up your school site in time for September, many of which can be achieved on a relatively small budget. We’ve gathered a few ideas below to help get your creative juices flowing:

1. Imaginative wall graphics

Wall graphics are a fast, simple, and non-permanent way to dress empty wall space in corridors and classrooms. Whether your graphics are educational, decorative, or both, you can choose any design you like and we’ll match it to fit your space.

wall graphics

Not only do wall graphics look fun, but they can also help to personalize your school building. Why not get the kids and their families involved in choosing parts of the design or wording? This is a great way of creating shared pride in a learning environment.

For instance, we worked on a rebrand for Crossley Hall Primary School, Bradford, with interior designer, Yvonne Thurley. Yvonne is the creative director of Quality Bespoke Educational Design (QBED). Following the rebrand, Crossley Hall’s head teacher, Michael Thorp, wrote:

‘I had underestimated the impact that a rebranding exercise such as this would have. Parents show a sense of pride in their school as a reflection of their community. The children’s reactions are equally positive. Pupils talk about the sense of pride they feel in the newly-designed entrance hall and how they feel it matches the quality of their work.’

(You can read about our work with QBED in our blog ‘Working with designers to give school buildings a new lease of life.’)

2. Smart entrance signage

Entrance signage is practical in terms of helping new parents, teachers, and pupils find their way around, but it can also help set a precedent for the rest of your school. Much like smart, tidy classrooms can facilitate more organised lessons, a smartly presented school can encourage positive reactions.

signage

Investing in an updated branded entrance sign is a great way of showing the local community what you’re about and advertising your ongoing presence within the local area. Neat and attractive external signs can help create a fantastic first impression for anyone visiting your school.

3. Multi-purpose digital signage

Installing digital signage in your entranceway or another high-footfall location is a fantastic way of instantly sharing news, all from one place. Digital signs enable you to upload new information – be it static text/images or moving graphics – via a USB connection.

digital signage

This makes it simple to keep your school’s messaging up-to-date, as well as share everything from announcements and events, to office hours and key dates to remember. Gone are the days of the dusty old notice board and, in its place, is the eye-catching digital display!

To find out more about why schools are increasingly choosing digital signage or the different ways it can be used, check out our blog ‘Why digital signs are set to revolutionize the way schools communicate’.

4. Interactive graphics and reward charts

Have you ever thought printed graphics could enhance your lesson plans?

If you have, then you’d be absolutely right. And if not, let us introduce you to interactive classroom graphics. A magnetic, dry wipe display in the classroom is a great tool for making lessons that little bit more interactive and engaging, as well as brightening up empty wall space.

Map

Displays like these maps can be re-used for a whole range of lesson plans with different age groups, making them a worthwhile, long-term investment. Equally, dry wipe or PVC-fronted reward charts can be tailored to the task at hand, while serving as a fantastic visual reminder for the kids.

5. Wayfinding signage

Making sure your school is signposted and easy to navigate is an essential requirement for the safety and ease of both your pupils and site visitors. Branded wayfinding signage looks the part and enables everyone to find their way around your grounds, whatever size they are.

Fieldhead Carr

When was the last time you checked your wayfinding signage?

The chances are there will be a few signs that are worn, damaged, or out-of-date. At FASTSIGNS, we carry out free site surveys where our signage experts assess this for you before recommending any improvements to make your site safer and simpler to navigate.

Do you want to transform your school with branded graphics or signs? There’s still time to arrange your site visit in time for the summer holidays. Request a quote or consultation or tell us your requirement – we’ll make it happen!