As term one of the British School of Monaco’s first academic year in action draws to a close, we caught up with with Luke Sullivan, the school’s co-Founder. Luke and his team partnered with Kidzink to design, create and install the school’s inspiring learning spaces.
Luke, tell us about life so far at The British School of Monaco?
We had a few nervous moments before we kicked off, but the results so far have been just delightful. We have very happy kids, parents who are delighted to have found a solution to what was a problem at times and a great team spirit among the staff.
Alongside the French and bilingual schools in Monaco, we are the only fully English curriculum and English language school. From the number of enquiries and applications, we’re confident that pretty soon we will be struggling to find places for students and have a waiting list.
Today, the premises are lovely. We have wonderful furniture. All in all, the key things are in place…and some!
Why did you choose to work with Kidzink?
As an organisation committed to quality in every element of the school, one of the key characteristics we were looking for from our furniture provider was quality. We saw just that in Kidzink.
The early conversations with the [Kidzink] leadership team confirmed that there was a harmony of values and approach. On a personal level, we got on well with you guys, and we felt in safe hands.
We were looking for a natural feel for the British School of Monaco, we weren’t looking for something too shiny or too colourful. We wanted natural and understated. A school that would feel like home. The Kidzink products all had a very natural feel to them, but also as quality feel. Your furniture ticked both of those boxes.
From a practical standpoint, we were concerned with timings and logistics, especially in this difficult supply chain climate. We were looking for a supplier with a local base, and Kidzink’s base in Europe, is just ‘next door’, in Italy. We thought in the worst-case scenario, we could drive there ourselves and pick the furniture up. Thankfully, you made sure it didn’t come to that!
How have Kidzink’s designs come to life in the school?
It is even better in reality, I think, than the renderings. Which is a good thing! There is a real sense of not only the natural feel but of the solidity and the quality of the products. When you get that in reality, it is always better than what you had imagined.
What was the Kidzink installation process like?
We were really delighted. What was stand out about Kidzink was that the level of quality went through every element of the company. We had to delay our start date, which in turn affected Kidzink and the delivery times. We didn’t make it easy for you guys, but you responded in a very flexible and understanding way. Then, when we were then ready to go, you responded immediately.
What we also loved, was that if there ever was an issue, Kidzink figured out solutions rather than making them our problem. We had enough on our plate as it was! Once the installation team arrived, everything was very professional and thorough. They were a great team, who completed all the work in a week, as planned. What we also noticed was they were so respectful of the space – given that it’s a shiny new school. They didn’t trample over it and make things dirty. We liked the guys too, very nice people, smart, knew their stuff and spoke great English.
Last point. There were some minor things that were not as planned, but it was the Kidzink team who identified and made a plan to correct them. We thought that was great customer service.
Luke, now the school is open, what is next for the British School of Monaco?
We have been hard at work growing our ethos and culture, and from that will grow everything else.
We now have two years to find our secondary space and have it ready to open in September 2024. We will certainly be going back to Kidzink to support us in that next phase.
To learn more about working with Kidzink, CONTACT US.
