How To Choose Outdoor Classrooms for Your School

We do get approached quite a lot by schools who are interested in having an outdoor classroom for their school playground or forest school area. This initial approach is usually by email where we are just asked for a price for one. But there are so many variables involved before determining a final price that I thought I would put myself in an enquirer’s shoes and put together a list of items which you need to consider in advance.

So, firstly the most important question to ask your self is how many children does it need to accommodate? The usual answer to this is it needs to cater for a class of 30 children but of course some schools do have different class sizes – or if it is for a secondary school for example, more space is required for bigger (read older) children! There is a sort of rule of thumb that you need to allow 450mm of bench space/seating area for each primary school aged child. So in the Hideout House outdoor classrooms, an octagonal 5m or a 5m x 4m rectangular size would easily suffice.

Then you need to be clear as to where you want to site the building within the school curtilage. Factors that you need to bear in mind here are ease of access – how easy will it be for both staff and children to get easy access to it and consider all seasons and weathers. I have seen our buildings sited at the far end of a field which is fine to access in the finer months but when it becomes wet and cold and the ground becomes muddy, it is not so practical.

Distances from boundaries must also be borne in mind as this might have planning permission implications if the building is going to be too near a boundary especially if within a built-up suburban district with lots of neighbours who will be looking out onto it. Usually 5m away from any boundary is enough distance.

When considering the siting area, you need to also be aware of the levels over an area – i.e is there a slope or fall over the area or is it fairly flat and level? We usually put down a timber sub-frame base with skirting so that we can cater for any uneven surface but where the fall is quite significant, this could add to the overall cost. Also need to check if there are any large trees nearby as their roots could have a detrimental effect on the base and building over time. It might also sound like stating the obvious but will the building easily fit into the area if space is tight? We have been on numerous site visits where there was not a hope in hell’s chance of the building we originally quoted for being able to fit in the space it was intended for.

Now that you have decided upon the location and the size, you need to decide what options you would like to have if any. Some of these options could include the following – upper panels to provide for some sort of shade and protection from the elements (in this instance we provide solid infill panels, opening/closing louvre panels, glass or polycarbonate and roll down/up canvas panels), white boards, internal benching and desks and anti-slip grip deck flooring. And then you might want to choose from some eco options we offer – namely a renewable energy piece of equipment which shows children how renewable energy is created from the sun and the wind and a water butt and roof guttering system for rainwater harvesting.

And finally the price. Most companies – like our good selves – will provide a price which includes for delivery and installation. But remember – cheap is not always the best and that is why our outdoor classrooms are manufactured from premium materials which will last and will withstand the daily rigours an average school day will place upon it.

For more information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or visit www.hideouthouse.com