When it’s time to start looking for new school furniture, it’s important to start with a plan. Knowing how to get the most bang-for-your-buck is important to your budget, but buying smart is the key to getting the value you need. Not only will this help you get the most out of your teachers and your pupils, it will also set the right impression for visitors and stakeholders. Read our 5 simple purchasing lessons and discover how to take back control of procurement.

Set the Mood
Setting the right mood can make or break a class from the moment pupils walk in. For that reason, it’s important to consider what impression your school environment is giving. If you’re looking to stimulate creative thought, bright and funky furniture can work wonders. Then there are those lessons when all you really want is a bit of focus and concentration. Here, a more traditional set up with comfortable, ergonomic furniture will do the job.

It’s also important to give the pupils time to kick back, relax and refresh both bodies and minds. Consider how a cosy breakout area could help pupils socialise and recoup between those energetic lessons.

Why not think about the colour and style of your furniture? Do they match your school brand and portray that consistent look of quality and modernity that you are trying to achieve? Try to see the environment from the perspective of your pupils and think how each area could help them perform at their best.

Exploring Flexibility
Anyone who has taught a lesson understands the need to switch up the classroom layout. When it’s time to huddle together and work as a single team, you’ll want to create a central hub of desks and chairs. If you need a little individual attention, the old-school set up of desk rows does the trick. There are times when you will want to create sparks in small teams that nestle together. Then others when you want pupils to wake up, get on their feet, move around and interact.

Whatever your schedule, adapting classroom layout is a great way to ensure motivation from start to finish. And yet, dragging around clunky and fragile furniture can be a real obstacle. Here are a few things to consider:

• Purchase chairs that stack and tables that interlock to make the most of your classroom space.
• Buy light-weight alternatives, like plastic seats. These are both highly durable and extremely mobile.
• Consider furniture with coasters, making it easy to slide between one set up and the next.

For more ideas on classroom flexibility, take a look at the Candy range of furniture.

Making the most of your space
The modern classroom has a dilemma to solve. On the one hand, you need plenty of equipment to stimulate creativity and motivate pupils. On the other, there’s nothing more distracting than a room full of clutter. As teachers know all too well, striking the right balance is key. However, a little smart-thinking when it comes to storage and space planning can really tip the scales in your favour.

The first thing to think about is how does your storage solution facilitate class organisation? Does it allow teachers and pupils to set up and tidy classrooms with ease? A well-organised classroom should work alongside stock control, helping to keep the right equipment in the right places.

One of the best features about modern storage solutions is that they often combine two functions in one. From the partition wall that doubles up as a bookshelf, to the table that’s also a treasure chest of educational props, you can pack big ideas into the smallest of spaces. You might also consider the mobile storage solution. A workstation on wheels can be rolled from one classroom to the next, meaning you can share a single set of resources throughout the whole school.

For more space saving ideas, visit the website here.

The classroom has come a long way in recent years. Staying ahead of the trends by building progressive environments can really help you nurture forward-thinking teachers and pupils. By thinking long-term, these solutions can even help you save money and meet educational targets. Why not speak to specialists, Ian Smith Education, and discover a better way to procure school furniture.