“Working with RM and Isis, for the first time ever we were starting to hear some joined up thinking in terms of ICT and furniture. We all work in schools and with children because we have those special educational moments and this building offers very many of those special moments.”
Nigel Clemens , Deputy Head, Uxbridge High School
The vision
• Reverse the trend of declining sixth form numbers by making Year 11 students stay on at the school and attracting new students. We needed the ‘wow’ factor and we needed seamlessly integrated ICT both to deliver the curriculum and to engage these tech-savvy students.
• Lesley Carroll, Uxbridge High’s Business Manager, wanted flexible spaces while retaining some traditional classrooms. With a wide variety of teaching staff, from Teach First graduates who are always experimenting and pushing boundaries, to those who preferred a more traditional approach, it was important not to alienate either camp.
The furniture
• The new sixth form, business and maths block included a café and Internet touchdown points, auditorium, classrooms, breakout areas and an open plan ‘experimental learning zone’ on the top floor.
• In the traditional classrooms, Isis Student Tables and Isis Student Chairs are complemented by Teacher Wall which houses an interactive whiteboard and conceals all cabling and AV equipment controlled by the teacher’s laptop. Outside the classrooms, large open plan breakout spaces are furnished with t41 tables, Sari stackable chairs and Isis Wireless Power Hubs so students can grab a notebook from the IT team and work independently or in groups.
The open plan learning zone on the top floor houses VerTables,Sari chairs, StepSeat , Acoustic Pods and Orbital to provide a dynamic, flexible space in which groups from different years can collaborate or work independently in a range of settings.
The result
“I think it’s pretty amazing. Everyone stayed here because of the new building, we were really anxious to get in.”
Sixth form student