Sheffield Primary School Benefits From Interactive Panels

Sheffield-based panel manufacturer Panel Systems has produced interactive panels with an innovative digitally printed design for St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, a Catholic Voluntary Academy in Handsworth, Sheffield.

The panels were supplied as part of the Primary Spaces programme, which is being funded by Sport England to help more schools to create outdoor multi-sport areas that can be used within the curriculum and out of school hours.

St Joseph’s Primary successfully received funding to install a brand new Multi Use Sports Area to complement its existing outdoor green space. The main objective was to increase the school’s sport provision and create an inclusive space for children of all ages and abilities to play together during PE classes or break time. The panels are produced from Compact Grade Laminate and schools are invited to choose from around 12 different designs which feature colourful interactive designs on a sporting theme.

Panel Systems is a specialist contractor in play and outdoor recreation, providing cutting and machining of edges and drilling of fixing holes into the panels, for ease of installation on site.

Danny Phelan, National Sales Manager at Panel Systems, said: “This is a very exciting project and it is testament to our expertise in the leisure and education sectors and our extensive fabrication capabilities. We are delighted to be supplying this very important project into schools across the country to enhance their outdoor sports facilities.”

The school’s governors, pupils and PE staff were involved in consultations to design a play area that met with their requirements.

The fully-enclosed configuration comes with a variety of play options; children can engage in traditional ball games, such as basketball, netball and football, or use the six activity panels and the floor patterns to generate their own games during break time or after school. The area can easily accommodate a group of 30 children and allows the school to optimise its outdoor space.

“We are very pleased with our new play area,” says Mrs Sheila Armitage, Headteacher at St Joseph’s Primary. “It has already proved to be really popular with the children and is a great space where they can interact and learn. Our pupils like the vibrant colours and fun graphics of their new ball court and it looks set to get lots of use in the future.”

Panel Systems offer a full fabrication and CNC service for panels, which includes 40 years’ experience working with a wide range of materials, including Compact Grade Laminate, Colorplas, Plywood, Cement Board, Perspex, Aluminium Honeycomb, Thermhex, MDF and Foam plastic.

The company has its own CAD department and is able to accept customers own drawings in a large range of file formats. These designs can be used to create bespoke shapes and engraving using our 5-Axis CNC routers.