St Mary’s C of E Primary School is committed to inspiring curious, resilient learners within a supportive and inclusive environment. With a strong reputation in the local community, the school places great importance on helping pupils grow in confidence while ensuring every child feels valued, supported and included.
To further enhance their SEND provision, the school created a dedicated sensory den within their existing classroom, providing pupils with a calm area to regulate while remaining connected to their learning environment.
The Brief: Finding a Solution Within Limited Space
The school approached us after creating a small sensory den within their SEND classroom. Like many schools, they faced the challenge of limited space while needing to provide pupils with a dedicated area where they could step away, regulate and return to learning when ready.
By incorporating the sensory space within the classroom itself, the school wanted to minimise time away from lessons, reduce disruption and provide pupils with access to regulation support without placing additional demands on staff resources.
The Design: A Bespoke Sensory Solution for a Compact Environment
With the den already in place, the focus was on maximising the available space and creating a complete sensory experience within a compact area.
A bespoke design was developed to incorporate a range of sensory features while maintaining a comfortable and practical environment. Floor padding was installed to create a soft, safe and relaxing area without taking up valuable space with larger seating options.
As our sensory products are designed and manufactured with flexibility in mind, adaptations were made specifically for this installation. The Borealis Tube was fitted upside down, allowing the base to be positioned outside the den while keeping the interactive feature fully secure and accessible. Similarly, the fibre optic light source was positioned externally within a lockable timber casing, ensuring the limited floor space remained open and uncluttered.
This tailored approach allowed the school to achieve a fully functional sensory environment within a very small footprint.
The Installation: Delivered with Minimal Disruption
Following a detailed site survey to measure the bespoke padding requirements and confirm the positioning of the equipment, our installation team completed the project during the next available school holiday period to minimise disruption.
As the sensory den was located within an active classroom, careful planning was essential to ensure the space was ready for pupils to use immediately following installation.
A lockable control cabinet was also installed to provide staff with secure access to the equipment controls. This allowed supervisors to manage when the sensory features were active, ensuring the environment remained calm and consistent for pupils using the space.
The Training: Confident Use from Day One
Due to the compact design of the sensory den, the system was simple for staff to operate. Training was provided to ensure they felt confident using the Borealis Tube, fibre optic harness and tactile sequin panels, allowing them to adapt the space to suit each pupil’s individual sensory needs.
The Outcome: A Small Space with a Lasting Impact
The completed sensory den has provided St Mary’s C of E Primary School with a valuable regulation space that demonstrates how effective sensory environments can be created, even within smaller areas.
The combination of tactile, visual and calming sensory features has created a cosy retreat where pupils can take time to regulate while remaining part of the classroom environment.
The school shared their feedback following completion:
“It has been great so far – thank you! The children are really enjoying it.”
This project highlights how thoughtful design and bespoke sensory solutions can transform even the smallest spaces into meaningful environments that support wellbeing, inclusion and learning.
Create a Sensory Space That Works for You
Whether you have a dedicated room or a smaller area to transform, we can help you create an effective sensory environment. Get in touch for a free bespoke quotation and design.
