Playground canopies are multipurpose structures covering an area to allow all-year-round learning, whatever the weather.
The reason canopies are becoming so popular is their flexibility.
Many schools use them as year-round play areas and to encourage creativity and hands-on messy play activities such as painting or gardening.
Schools specialising in teaching SEND students often use them to cover and protect play equipment or as a quiet space so children can leave the noisy classroom behind and self-regulate their behaviour outside in a safe area.
Canopies provide the perfect space for children to escape the confines of a classroom for outdoor learning, playing and social activities.
The UK, like the rest of the world, is experiencing a warming climate with more intense and frequent heatwaves.
Our recent heatwave in May was unprecedented with temperatures climbing to 35.1°C in Kew Gardens, London, exceeding its previous station record of 29.3°C and the previous UK May record of 32.8°C.
Protecting children from the effects of the sun exposure and heat stroke is paramount for schools as is protecting them from the effects of overheating in classrooms.
Canopies therefore provide the perfect solution, allowing children to play safely outside under a roof that blocks harmful UV rays while potentially keeping classrooms cool.
Many south and south-west facing classrooms attract solar glare throughout the day making classrooms during sunny weather unbearably hot.
Overheating can cause all sorts of behavioural problems including increased irritability and lethargy as well as dehydration and heat stress.
Sometimes overheating can cause schools to abandon classrooms, creating overcrowding and, if the school has to close because of the heat, it can create a logistical nightmare for working parents.
An ideal solution is to install a canopy next to south or south-west facing classrooms. Not only will the canopy act as a barrier to the solar glare keeping classrooms cool but will also provide an extra space where students can play protected from the sun or rain.
The unpredictable British weather can often limit the amount of time children spend learning and playing outside. A playground canopy provides a sheltered outdoor space that can be used throughout the year, protecting pupils from rain as well as strong sunshine.
This gives teachers greater flexibility to take lessons outdoors and allows children to enjoy creative play, messy activities, reading, socialising and physical play without being restricted by the weather. Having a dedicated covered area also helps schools make outdoor learning part of the everyday curriculum rather than something that can only happen when conditions are perfect.
Canopies are usually made from high quality aluminum and steel or timber, making them very durable and long-lasting.
In fact, brands like Spaceshade are guaranteed to last for more than 25 years.
Their tough polycarbonate roofs which block harmful UV rays are impact resistant and need minimal care.
Most attractive of all, they often require no planning permission.
While there isn’t a legal obligation to have a canopy at school, Ofsted does recommend incorporating outdoor learning into the curriculum and a canopy or canopies can help schools attain this.
More recently, the government made changes to the Area guidelines for SEND and alternative provision: BB 104 around providing spaces beyond the classroom to better reflect SEND teaching practices and a more inclusive school environment.
These spaces include quiet rooms, calming zones, specialised therapy rooms, safe sensory areas and outdoor areas including those that are sheltered and can be used all year round.
Think carefully about the best location for your canopy where you will get the most use out of it and what exactly you want to use it for.
Will it be used for messy play or to cover playground equipment or will it be used to shade a south-facing classroom too?
Canopies are extremely versatile and are a brilliant solution to transforming a space that’s underused.
If you have a dark corner, an enclosed courtyard or another less than optical space, a brightly coloured canopy will completely transform this area.
For example, Great Bedwyn School in Wilshire, installed a colourful roof canopy over a small dark playground and made it into a well-used and well-loved play space.
When looking to install a canopy, you will need to think about:
It’s best to go as wide as you can to provide the best weather protection as possible.
A minimum of 3 metres width is recommended though 4 or 5 metres is even better.
Young children respond well to colour and research shows it can have powerful effect on their mood and development. Colours can stimulate varying parts of the brain, leading a young learner through an exciting journey of discovery.
So, make sure you integrate colour into your design either by choosing brightly coloured roof panels or frames and post protectors.
Adaptability is key with canopies so you can choose side walls, post protectors, lighting and even heating to increase the usability of your canopy.
Canopies can easily be retrofitted with all these features, so they can adapt to your specific needs whenever they change.
Our canopies have built in, concealed downpipes and guttering and built-in safety features such as the non-fragile roof and concealed fixings which help to protect pupils.
Schools love shade sails because of their brightly coloured fabric roofs in dramatic shapes.
They look stunning in playgrounds while providing shade for children so if you just need somewhere shady for children to play under during the hot weather, then shade sails are perfect.
However, if you want all year-round protection then a canopy like Kensington’s Spaceshade is a more practical option for a similar price.
It’s always best to go with a company which has plenty of experience of installing canopies in schools.
You should ask your network for recommendations and go with a company which has a proven track record and takes care of the entire job from the first site visit to groundworks, installation and after care, should anything go wrong.
Although, some suppliers may appear cheaper at first, be wary of going with ‘one-man band’ suppliers with flashy websites as they usually outsource the installation.
If this is the case, you may not have any comeback when things need fixing and will end up spending more money further down the line.
Since introducing the Spaceshade canopy into the UK, we have had over 20 years of experience in installing hundreds of canopies in schools across the country
If you’d like to find out more, please contact us.