The Kidzink International team have been invited to create a series of inspiring learning spaces for Benedict House Prep School in the UK. This warm and welcoming school is located just outside of London, and is a part of the popular Chatsworth Schools family. Kidzink’s design and installation of a new STEAM lab, reading room, resources room and forest school will form part of the expansion and refurbishment of this already popular, high achieving school.
Benedict House Prep School is situated in the heart of the town of Sidcup, just outside of London. Come September 2022, the school’s pupils will return to a far larger, freshly modernised campus, complete with a series of inspiring learning spaces designed and brought to life by the Kidzink International team.
Chatsworth Schools have recently added an adjacent building to the Benedict House campus, and within this new space Kidzink are busy installing a bespoke STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) lab. The key to this lab design (and to meeting the needs of this unique school) lay in two important elements, namely…flexibility and great storage!
Once complete, the Benedict House STEAM lab will include a signature Kidzink ‘teacher wall’, a sleek line of waist height cabinets and discreet wall shelving (perfect for keeping those ongoing art or innovation projects safe!). What’s more, both the teacher wall and the (flippable, height adjustable!) student tables will be finished with writable surfaces, a neat design feature that not only allows teachers and pupils to freely brainstorm their ideas, but which will also maximise available workspace (and…a plus point for sustainability – minimise the school’s paper consumption!).
For any STEAM projects that require electrical power to complete, Benedict House pupils will be able to make use of the newly installed overhead power units. These power units safely retract out of reach when not in use (or when the school’s younger pupils are making use of the room).
The Resources Room and Reading Room
Prior to embarking on this project, Craig Wardle, Head of Benedict House Prep School explained his commitment to developing a deep love of reading in each and every pupil. To reflect this emphasis on the written word, Kidzink will create two rather special rooms. The ‘Reading Room’ will cater to the school’s younger pupils and provide numerous cosy, comfortable spaces to curl up with a good book. There will be a comfortable corner sofa (with built in shelving), a second, stunning double height sofa (though we prefer to describe it as a ‘tree house for reading’!) as well as built in upholstered ‘reading nooks’ adjacent to the spacious library shelving.
The neighbouring ’Resources Room’ incorporates even more shelving for the school’s precious books (for both rooms, the Chatsworth team selected specialist library shelving, manufactured in Italy by Kidzink’s European manufacturing partner, GAM.). The design of the Resources Room is geared towards the school’s older pupils, and will provide space for group work, research and presentations. In the centre of the room, a study table, complete with built in power banks, will allow students to use tech alongside traditional books to complete their studies.
The Great Outdoors!
Benedict House Prep School is blessed with a campus surrounded by beautiful trees and established greenery. As well as installing a selection of play items in the school’s existing early years playground, Kidzink are set to bring some woodland wonder to this busy corner of South-East London by turning a previously unused area into a mini-Forest School. The space will include handmade rustic seating for story times, a den building area, bug hotels and more. Watch this space!
