As the end of the school year gradually comes into sight, it’s time to start thinking about what works and what doesn’t in your classroom.
The summer brings a great opportunity to change the design, layout and fittings of your classroom or nursery, but if you want to make the most of this opportunity then now is the time to identify problems and gather ideas.
Here are 5 signs that your room needs a revamp at the end of next term, to get you thinking about what to focus on in the next few months:
1. Clutter, Clutter Everywhere
Hard as you may try to follow a tidy-up regime, clutter tends to accumulate throughout each term. If you’re finding it hard to keep on top of the mess, you may want to consider ways in which you can improve storage facilities.
Shelving, drawers and hooks are a few options that can help you maximise the use of available space, to minimise mess.
2. Accidents Happen
No matter how child-friendly you think you’ve made a room, accidents do happen. Especially when there is a lot of clutter in the classroom.
If you’ve had any slips, trips or falls indoors this year, you may want to play around with the layout of the room, to reduce clutter and make it safer for the children.
3. Dull and Boring
Every nursery and classroom should be full of colour. Interesting décor can generate excitement about learning and engage the children from the minute they enter the room.
Creating cool decorations for the classroom such as bunting and displays is a great end of term activity that gets the children involved in making the room their own.
4. Broken Fittings
From wobbly chairs and tables to broken coat hooks, the classroom itinerary takes a toll over the course of the year.
Although wear and tear is inevitable, upgrading to quality basics will reduce your school’s expenditure in the long run, so don’t compromise when restocking at the end of term.
5. A Growing Class
As your nursery or school grows, so do class sizes. A layout that might have been perfect for a class of 10 children may feel rather cramped with 15.
The use and requirements of a room can change drastically from one year to the next; if you’ve found that the layout hasn’t worked well this year, or you anticipate problems next year, summer is the perfect time to rethink the format.
Start identifying areas for improvement in your classroom now, to take the pressure off planning and redecorating your nursery or school at the end of the year.
Note down any problems or ideas that you have, so that next term you’ll know exactly what changes you want to make when the opportunity arises.
