Outdoor Shelters for Forest Schools

/in /by

fire pit and BBQ cabin

The forest schools programme and initiative in the UK is definitely gaining momentum as we do now receive quite a few enquiries from schools who are looking for outdoor shelters for forest schools which they can use in these designated areas.

A common request is to provide for some sort of outdoor shelter or outdoor classroom provision where the children can seek refuge from the elements when so required or which the forest school practitioner can use as an outdoor learning & teaching base. And as making and building fires is a major part of this initiative, we have developed our very own fire pit shelter and outdoor classroom where you can actually have a fire pit in the middle. These tend to be open-sided structures although we can partially enclose them with either solid infill panels or roll-up/roll-down canvas panels to enclose some further protection. The smoke from the fire exhausts through a special ventilation hole in the roof with a special roof cap to stop rain getting in.

But we have been asked also for a facility where as well as lighting fires, the children would also like to be able to cook somewhere and ideally in a building which is fully enclosed so that it can be used all year round. And if you can have some desks in there as well, all the better!

So we are pleased to now be selling stylish outdoor shelters for forest schools cabin which come in different sizes to suit different class sizes or forest school groups and which have a special central fire/BBQ cooking facility where a fire can be lit to both heat up the cabin and to cook on. It is also possible to have internal benching and desks in the cabin as well and in this instance a flue positioned above the fire allows the smoke to easily escape. So this product offers up the ideal solution for a forest school – it allows children to make fires (and thereby also provide for internal heat if “off grid” which these sites usually are), it allows them to cook, it provides for shelter for all year round use and it can be an outdoor learning resource with desks and tables.

There are some options available – firstly the sizes as they come in 10m2, 14m2, 17m2 and 25m2 variants. On some of these models, you can have either sloping walls or straight, there are a couple of colour choices of felt shingle tiles for the roof, internal benches and desks, seating cushions, LED lights and bases. Our prices always allow for delivery and installation.

For further details, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

 

 

An Alternative Way For Schools To Fund Outdoor Classrooms

/in , /by
Enclosed octagonal and rectangular classrooms

Enclosed octagonal and rectangular classrooms

We sell a lot of outdoor classrooms to schools and ever more so those which are fully enclosed with solid wall panels and glazed panels. The reason being is that schools can use them all year round without worrying about the elements (we can also insulate them if they were going to be heated) plus they can use them as buildings which the wider community can utilise and benefit from too.

But the challenge is always funding or lack of it to be more precise. “Love them but we have no budget” is the usual response I hear from head teachers or school business managers. There are undoubtedly grants which you can apply for which will fund these type of buildings but let’s assume that there is no room in the school budget to afford these outdoor classrooms and you cannot get a grant. But you want and need an outdoor classroom for your school. So we have thought “outside of the box” on this issue and come up with following proposal.

Firstly, you can take out an operating lease on these type of buildings (this applies to your school whether it is an academy or within local authority control) over a typical period of 3 years where at the end of the lease period the school then has the option to return the equipment with no further payments or extend the agreement for one final year.

  • If the school extends for a final year the quarterly payments will be charged at ‘fair market value’, typically no more than 60% of the quarterly repayments on the original 3 year lease
  • At the end of the fourth year the equipment is then abandoned to the school with no more rentals to pay, no title is passed to the school

So you have the benefit of the asset now but can spread the payments over a period of time or school budget accounting periods. But we still haven’t got the money to pay for the lease payments I hear you cry.

By way of an example incidentally, a £12,000 enclosed outdoor classroom would cost £80 to rent per week over a three year period.

First question to ask yourself…..could the building be let out for before and after school clubs for example and if so, would you have any idea what a school could charge for this? Could the PTA use it or some of the money they raise each year be used to offset the lease payments?

or we have an association with a company who rent out school premises such as sports facilities or halls (for further information on this see my blog link given below). In terms of hiring halls for example they have on their books some smaller schools in a rural setting earning £10-15k per year but the larger halls in busier cities can attract up to £60k of revenue (obviously dependent on the types of activities allowed). They also have an IT system which does all of the administration for the bookings and they do all of the marketing as well – in return for this, they ask for a commission for all bookings taken. All the school has to do is obviously have someone on hand i.e. site manager, caretaker – to let people in and out.

So if a school were to utilise this service, this would hopefully generate enough extra income to pay for the outdoor classroom leasing payments. You already have the school asset so you need to put it out work. But I am well aware that this would have to be run past Governors and many questions would be asked! See therefore some testimonials below from schools who are already using this system.

But all I am trying to do is find a way of not just giving up and saying there is no money. That would be very un-British!

Angela Mellish – Bursar School: St Bernards

QUOTE: “We wouldn’t be without BookingsPlus! It has saved us so much time with the speedy invoicing and online payments. We recently had the auditors in who commented that the system was an auditors dream. The audit trail is tight, and there is a good level of control within the system such as not being able to delete invoices and payments. The ability to add reasons to credit notes and voided invoices provides the perfect picture as to what is happening. From booking through to payment, it is easy to keep track of everything. The auditors said they would recommend the system to other schools, and so would I”

Steve Munday – Head Teacher William Edwards School

QUOTE: “The BookingsPlus system gives us a significant revenue boost, which we have been able to invest in ICT/ technology, sporting equipment and staffing to ensure that we can provide the best possible learning environments and opportunities for our students. Equally importantly it has helped us to become an integral part of the local community by giving local groups, charities and organisations the chance to use our exceptional facilities. Everybody wins!”

Blog on renting out premises

Generate Money for Your School – Rent Out Your Premises

For further information on the above or to explore opportunities how we can help  your school get funding for our outdoor classrooms, please call 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

4m x 3m enclosed outdoor classroom

4m x 3m enclosed outdoor classroom

Superglamp – A New Division For The Hideout House Company

/in /by

full package

Our business has always been involved in the educational sector and we have hopefully built up a good reputation with schools for supplying quality outdoor classrooms, eco classrooms, school buildings, playground equipment and bespoke landscaping projects.

But we started to get quite a few enquiries from the leisure and hospitality industry for play equipment, multi purpose buildings such as offices, reception buildings etc and mobile buildings which could be adapted for accommodation purposes…so we have started a new division called Superglamp to service this growing and exciting industry. Not only do we create unique products, we create unique concepts which includes accommodation units in many different guises,  products which compliment the trend for wellness breaks, multi-purpose outdoor buildings and our very own “unique chic boutique” which includes such novel items as grass covered outdoor sofas!

Eco tourism is very important in this industry too so we have managed to utilise a lot of our knowledge, experience and products from the educational sector into the Superglamp brand…such as our pod lodges which are totally off-grid and self sufficient.

For more information, please visit the website www.superglamp.com

Or contact us on 01865 858982 or email info@hideouthouse.com

 

 

 

It’s All Good Radio Show Launches New Platforms

/in /by

At the beginning of this year I was very kindly interviewed by It’s All Good Radio to talk about what we were doing in schools.

It’s All Good Radio Show is an internet radio show which showcases individuals, companies and organisations who are challenging the norm and changing the way we live and work for the better.

Twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays they broadcast a mix of stories and music focusing on new innovations and thought provoking ideas and projects which encourage us all to get involved in creating a more equitable and sustainable world.

To listen to these broadcasts go to www.itsallgoodradioshow.com/radiopodcasts

The team behind It’s All Good Radio Show have also recently launched two new platforms: “A Million People Doing Good” and “Business Doing Good.”

Debbie Hyde, producer/presenter of the show explains:

Every day we come across stories of individuals and businesses who are changing the way we live and work for the better and we love to share these via Facebook and Twitter and through our broadcasts, but for some time now we’ve wanted to bring all these people together in one place.

And so we are creating A Million People Doing Good and Business Doing Good – a collective space where we discover, share and come together to recognise the tremendous efforts of individuals and businesses across the globe who are making the world a better place and encourage you to connect with them and get involved in their projects.

We would love to hear from you if you are one of ”A Million People Doing Good” or a “Business Doing Good” or if you know someone who is doing great work and should be recognised and celebrated.

To find out more and get involved go to www.itsallgoodradioshow.com , Facebook: It’s All Good Radio Show and Twitter @debbiehyde7

Eco Schools Activities for Outdoor Classrooms

/in /by

We have developed some creative activities for outdoor classrooms which include features to promote a lot of the core themes of the Eco Schools programme – namely renewable energy, bio-diversity, growing and healthy living. First of all though, you need access to the following essential ingredients:

* Outdoor classroom or shelter – preferably with a living sedum roof and an internal mini dipping pond

* Dynamo electric pedal bikes which produce electricity when pedalled

* Mini wind turbine/solar panel and energy monitoring board with power sockets

* Guttering and water butt for rainwater harvesting

* Planters

So now we have an outdoor classroom which is actually a learning resource too. For bio-diversity, the children can see how the sedum on the roof changes colour and texture and how it attracts wildlife. And in no time at all, the mini dipping pond will be thriving with life and providing a natural habitat for all sorts of creatures. For renewable energy, children can pedal on the special dynamo electric pedal bikes to create power which can then be used for all kinds of creative outdoor learning exercises; they can monitor the energy created by the wind turbine or solar panel and then use this to power up laptops, tablets etc. And they can plant and grow their own food which is turn is fed and watered by natural rainwater.

And this happens all year round as well!

For further information as to how your school can benefit from the above, please contact Simon Fearnehough on 01865 858982 or email simon@hideouthouse.com

 or visit eco school activities

The Green Roomoption

Don’t Build The Ark Just Yet!

/in /by

With all of this recent bad weather and heavy flooding we have been experiencing of late, it was sort of inevitable that everybody would start blaming everyone else and that the perennial issue of climate change would yet again come to the fore of public discussion and debate.

I am no scientist by any means and sometimes it is hard to know what to believe when confronted with so much conflicting information – but I do know this for sure and that is that we have been experiencing some pretty weird but consisent weather patterns these last ten years and surely we cannot just keep blaming the good old British climate. We have obviously upset Mother Nature and she is telling us loud and clear that she is not very happy.

We do need therefore to start to make some fundamental changes to the way we treat this planet but I totally appreciate that this will be extremely difficult to get everyone to agree upon exactly what, when and how. But I believe that a very good place to start is to introduce today’s children to eco schools education so that eco awareness and social responsibility becomes absolutely second nature to them. If we can encourage this more and more in schools, then hopefully we can secure some sort of a better future where they will not have to entertain the prospect of ducks swimming around their front living room each winter!

The Eco Schools programme is doing a great job to promote their green agenda within the educational community and it is pleasing to see more and more schools joining each year.

And that is why everything we sell to schools at the Hideout House Company is designed to foster eco awareness and to promote an educational green engagement. But we haven’t designed and built an ark just yet!!

For more information, please contact Simon Fearnehough on 01865 858982 or email simon@hideouthouse.com

The Hideout House Company Ltd   www.hideouthouse.com