Overview
Oakridge School prides itself on providing a nurturing and inspiring environment where pupils are encouraged to grow into confident, independent learners. Set within a large school site spanning nursery to junior age, the school also has a wonderful forest school area featuring a Trim Trail and Imagination Land.
To enhance its existing provision, the school sought to introduce two new spaces onsite – an interactive modular sensory space, incorporating soft play features and a calming, breakout room to support children’s sensory and emotional needs.
Client Brief
The school initially provided photographs and measurements of each room, followed by a teams meeting to discuss the concepts in detail and agree on the overall brief for each space. This collaboration allowed us to turn the quotation around quickly, while ensuring each sensory system was carefully designed to meet the needs of the pupils.
The breakout room was an internal space that was transformed into a safe, relaxing environment to support pupils when they needed time to regulate. Whilst the sensory room was installed within a large modular building, supplied by our partner, Cabins for Schools. This spacious environment offered ample room to accommodate the wide range of sensory equipment requested by the school. The headteacher highlighted the importance of creating an immersive space where children could hide, climb, rock, spin and feel fully engaged, alongside all the essential interactive sensory equipment.
Sensory Room Design
As this was an external building, within our bespoke designs we created a space at the entrance area to allow children to remove their shoes before using the space, particularly as the entire room was fully padded. To support this, we manufactured a bespoke padded shoe bench, providing a comfortable place for pupils to sit, remove their shoes and transition calmly into the sensory environment.
Interactive mood lighting was installed to gently wash the room with colour, creating an immersive and calming atmosphere. A popular Borealis Tube was fitted with an extended plinth, offering a relaxing seating area. The Infinity Panel introduced an engaging sound-to-light interactive feature, while the Sensory Play Panel added both fiddle-style elements and more traditional tactile activities to encourage exploration.
One of the most popular features with the pupils was the Infinity Den. This provided a much-needed hideaway space for children seeking comfort and security, enhanced by calming twinkling stars on the ceiling and acrylic mirrors to maximise the visual effect. The Infinity Den also fulfilled a second requirement, as pupils were able to sit on top of the unit. Constructed from timber and fully covered in soft padding, it offered a safe elevated space for those who feel calmer at height.
Finally, the ball pool added a strong visual and sensory element, allowing children to feel fully immersed in a sea of colour-changing balls. This interactive feature supported excellent cause-and-effect learning, as pupils could control the colours to suit their mood.
The breakout room was installed as a fully padded calming space, with soft wall and floor padding complemented by mood lighting and music to help children feel calm and secure. Interactive colour-changing lighting was installed in the ceiling, allowing pupils to select colours that matched their mood, while a punch pad provided a safe outlet for releasing excess energy and frustration.
Installation
Due to both rooms featuring fully bespoke floor and wall padding, a survey was carried out prior to installation. This enabled the design engineer to account for all sockets, radiators, windows, doors and in the calming room, the water stop tap. Each element was considered in the final design prior to manufacture, either providing access points or incorporating cut-outs in the padding to ensure a safe and fully functional installation.
As all engineers hold valid DBS checks, the school was comfortable with the installations taking place during term time, allowing us to achieve the best possible timescale. The engineers worked diligently and efficiently to fit the systems while ensuring minimal disruption to the children.
Following installation, the school requested a redesign of the stop tap access in the calming room. Having experienced a previous flood, they required immediate access to the tap while maintaining the safety of the space for the children. The adjustment was successfully implemented, ensuring both practicality and safety without compromising the room’s calming environment.
Training
Upon completion of each room, the lead engineer carried out a comprehensive walkthrough with the designated teachers, ensuring they were familiar with all the features – particularly in the sensory room, which included a wide range of interactive elements for the pupils.
The Outcome
We thoroughly enjoyed working on this project with the school. The breakout room offered a calm, safe space with padded floors and walls, mood lighting and soothing music. But the Cabins for Schools modular sensory room was even more fun to design and install! Packed with interactive sensory equipment, it gives children the tools to develop self-regulation, improve focus and enjoy positive social interactions, all guided by the four zones of regulation.
We can’t wait to collaborate with the federation again on their sister school’s project.
