School refurb projects

School has been ‘out for the summer’ for what feels like a lifetime for most people due to the Covid-19 pandemic seeing schools up and down the country closing their doors to most pupils in mid-March. With schools set to re-open again for the new school year in September, now is a great time to take a look at what could be improved in your school environment and give it a little refurbishment ready for the new school year.

School refurbs can cover many aspects and this isn’t just covered by a lick of paint and new carpets, school refurbs can also cover other aspects such as health and safety which help to keep all staff and pupils safe. Of course with the current situation, schools are taking extra steps to ensure staff and pupils are safer with hand sanitising and social distancing being practised up and down the country. With disposable face masks and disposable face shields available as well as hand sanitiser and floor standing sanitiser stations, these are great options to have installed in entrances to schools or given to staff members where social distancing isn’t achievable in order to keep everyone safe.

Aside from hygiene and cleaning when it comes to school environments, it is also important for educational facilities to stay on top of other legal requirements such as fire safety. The summer holidays is the perfect time to check all documents such as your fire escape plan, ensuring all health and safety posters are up to date, you have an appropriate number of fire extinguishers and that all fire alarms work.

Fire safety supplies in school may also include fire blankets so checking that you have those placed in the correct places around your school such as kitchen and canteens is very important as well as making sure all of your staff have had the appropriate and up to date fire training.

Once you have checked all of your fire safety procedures and ensured your hygiene and cleaning products are all in place, the next step when it comes to school refurbishments is first aid equipment. First aid posters can cover many health and safety topics such as defibrillation, fire safety, first aid for children, first aid for eyes and so on. Having the appropriate first aid posters up around your school or in the staff room ensures you have a constant reminder of what to do in an emergency.

Before the schools go back, it is also a great idea to check that all first aid kits have all items inside and that they are fully stocked. Again, there are many first aid kits to choose from with specific child friendly first aid kits available which are of course great for educational environments.

Defibrillators are also an essential medical tool to have installed at your school. Although you may not feel it is necessary, defibrillators can make the difference between life and death and as sudden cardiac arrests can occur to anyone, it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to having a defibrillator installed. An astonishing 270 children in the UK die every year due to sudden cardiac arrests, having a defibrillator installed in your school could help reduce that figure.

Child friendly defibrillators have smaller electrode pads and give a smaller shock when it comes to saving a child’s life and is something to seriously consider when it comes to maintaining health and safety in your school. As defibrillators can be costly, you can apply for funding to help cover the cost making it an easier route to get one installed at your school.

Taking a look at your school ready for the new school year, consider the steps that you could take in order to be prepared for the pupils entering a new school year. Having a refurbishment means that all of your health and safety procedures have been checked and are up to date giving you peace of mind in knowing that you have all aspects covered should an emergency every occur.