Two lucky schools have been announced as winners of the annual Dulux Smarter Spaces competition and are each set to receive £10,000 worth of colour and design services.
Lawley Primary School in Telford and Highdown School & Sixth From Centre in Reading will revitalise their education environments with help from the leading paint manufacturer’s Smarter Spaces team, which puts pupils at the heart of design in schools.
As part of their prize, the schools received a surprise visit from the Dulux Dog as well as Matthew Burton, star of TV’s Educating Yorkshire and ambassador for the campaign, to celebrate their win. The initiative promotes the concept of ‘learner-led design’ and the effective use of colour in schools and encourages pupils to be actively involved in the decoration planning process. Lawley Primary School will use the money to transform their entrance hall and main corridor, while Highdown School are set to turn an old technology classroom into an inspiring art and photography studio.
The competition was launched as research carried out by Dulux revealed that a staggering two thirds of schools lacked the funding to make basic refurbishment improvements, with an overwhelming majority of teachers and head teachers considering the school environment to affect pupils’ academic life.
Schools had to submit a 300-word entry explaining why they should win the £10,000 transformation and how they would make use of the funding. The final winner was chosen by a panel of judges, including Matthew Burton and education expert, Professor Stephen Heppell.
Becky Orton, Senior Brand Manager for Dulux Smarter Spaces, comments: “We’re delighted to announce the winners of this year’s competition. We work with schools across the country to design learning spaces that are not only inspiring and stimulating, but also meet the needs of the busy school environment. Our decoration and design packages are tailored to a school’s needs, offering services to suit every budget. We can’t wait to get to work on these projects!”
About the scheme
The Dulux Smarter Spaces service helps schools get the most out of their environment within their budget and allows teachers and head teachers to focus on running the school. From creating an oasis of calm to building engaging classroom displays or focus walls, the initiative champions a range of ways to make simple additions to learning environments that can make a big difference to learning outcomes. Using Ofsted criteria as a starting point, Dulux Trade identified five areas of focus where the design of the environment can support teaching and learning: to inspire engagement, improve building function, promote wellbeing, improve teaching and learning experience and encourage positive attitudes.
