Acoustic excellence in education and SEND Spaces

The Noise Issue

The Soundproofing Store worked alongside The Smith Foundation, a long standing and well-known charity school in West Yorkshire. The foundation is committed to providing quality education, care, health and support to students with diverse needs.

• There was a need within their main communal hall space to address and reduce the amount of echo and reverberation within it.
• It was important that any acoustic treatment was aesthetically appealing to the students and staff.
• It was also important to them that the walls were not covered with acoustic treatment as they wanted to keep the exposed brickwork as a main feature of the room and keep the back wall for the mounting of displays.

A design of white cloud shapes were chosen in the form ProSound Acoustic Ceiling Rafts (with a lead-time of just 5 working days).

The Soundproofing Store provided an acoustic report showing the reverberation time of the room

(in seconds) at different frequencies in hertz. Reverberation time is the time it takes for the sound to dissipate by 60 decibels after the source stops. A lower reverberation time means the sound is absorbed faster and the room is quieter. A higher reverberation time means the sound lingers longer and the room is more echoey.

The report compared the reverberation time of the room without sound absorption and with sound absorption. (Sound absorption is the process of reducing the sound energy that reflects off the surfaces of the room).

The required reverberation time (as set out in the BB93 performance standards) for an indoor hall is less than 1.5. The addition of ProSound Acoustic Treatment easily brings the average reverberation time under the 1.5 requirement for this type of room.

The Impact of Acoustics Within Educational Settings

The effectiveness of teaching and the welfare of staff and pupils can be greatly influenced by the acoustics of educational spaces. Research shows that good acoustic quality means lower levels of unwanted noise, greater teaching effectiveness and improvements in pupil behaviours and concentration. Improving the room acoustics within SEND settings can help to enhance communication and promote effective learning.

What is Sound Absorption? 

It is no surprise that classrooms and communal areas such as dining rooms and sports halls within educational settings are often noisy environments. Noise is amplified within these areas due to sound within the room reflecting off the hard surfaces (walls, floors, ceilings and windows). This reflected sound (echo) bounces around the room and when multiple sounds are bouncing off multiple surfaces this creates a loud, unfocused and noisy atmosphere. 

The importance of acoustics in learning spaces

The effectiveness of teaching and the welfare of staff and pupils can be greatly influenced by the acoustics of educational spaces.

Research shows that good acoustic quality means lower levels of unwanted noise, greater teaching effectiveness and improvements in pupil behaviours and concentration. Improving the room acoustics within SEN settings can help to enhance communication and promote effective learning.

Suitable acoustics in schools have long been a requirement since 2002, with the need for adequate acoustics as follows:

Department for Education. Acoustic design of schools: performance standards March 2014

1.2.2 School Premises Regulations & Independent School Standards

"The acoustic conditions and sound insulation of each room or other space must be suitable, having regard to the nature of the activities which normally take place therein."

Department for Education. Acoustic design of schools: performance standards March 2014

1.4.1 Acoustic considerations

"Pupils with special educational needs are generally even more reliant on good quality acoustic environments than others. Consequently, required reverberation times should be shorter, sound insulation between adjacent spaces higher and indoor ambient noise levels (and the capacity for distraction) lower than in environments for other pupils."

Transforming Room Acoustics

The room acoustics within educational settings can be dramatically improved by adding sound absorption (also known as acoustic panels) into any space.

ProSound Acoustic Panels are specially designed with an acoustic absorbent core, which means they effectively absorb sound before it can bounce back into the room.

This dramatically reduces the echo and reverberation within the room and helps to create a quieter and more focused learning environment. 

Empowering Educational Environments

The Soundproofing Store is an award-winning provider of acoustic solutions, regularly working with educational settings to improve and enhance the room acoustics within classrooms and communal spaces.

Effortless Installation, Exceptional Results

ProSound Sound Absorption products are designed for performance and simplicity. Easily installed by on-site maintenance teams or local tradespeople, requiring no specialist skills or prior experience. The Soundproofing Store team is readily available to provide support and address any questions throughout your project. 

Customer Testimonial

“The addition of ProSound Acoustic Ceiling Rafts has significantly contributed to creating a more comfortable atmosphere for our students. Many of our SEN students face challenges related to sensory processing, and noise sensitivity is a common issue. The acoustic ceiling rafts have effectively reduced background noise levels within our hall helping to create a calmer and more focused environment. Their fun cloud design has also been a big hit with our students. The process of working with The Soundproofing Store was quick and easy, communication was excellent. I would not hesitate to use them again."

 G Poole (Vice Principal) The Smith Foundation