Construction
Using marquees in Education
September 5, 2023
By Trafalgar Team

Schools, colleges and universities need a lot of space. Space for classrooms, for the staff & admin teams and for pupil’s breakout space. The amount of space needed varies for both short- and long-term reasons, such as:

Additional classrooms

When the number of learners increases, the amount of space needed increases.  This happens for several reasons:

  • Bulge years, because there are more learners in the area for certain year groups.
  • Other schools closing, or having major refurbishments, sometimes leads to students being moved to other local schools temporarily.
  • An increased curriculum means more classrooms are needed to teach more subjects.

Emergency space

A burst water pipe or a leaking roof can lead to more space being needed quickly. Most schools have very little spare space and using “communal areas” such as the hall causes other logistical problems.

Vocational subjects

Further education colleges and a growing number of vocation-based schools have curriculum topics that are difficult to do in a “normal” classroom. Bricklaying is a typical example. The sheer weight involved in the practical aspects of learning this trade make it impossible to do within the main building, unless you have specialist areas.  We provided LSEC Bromley with a marquee so their students could learn this valuable skill to take into their chosen career.

Exhibition spaces

Many practical subjects, including art and fashion, require students to produce work that is displayed as part of their assessment and grading. It can be difficult for this work to be exhibited in classrooms because they are in use every day for lessons and lectures. Adding additional space for a month or two can provide the space that is needed.

The University of Arts London used a marquee, with solid walls, for exactly this purpose.

Sports facilities

“Doing sport” is increasingly not enough, for both students and the curriculum. Strength and conditioning work to help increase performance means finding space for gym equipment, for cardio, flexibility and adding muscle mass.

Padel courts seem to be increasingly popular too.

The available options

  • Extending buildings – takes years to plan, get permission and then build. Costs will be very high
  • Using portacabins – Ugly and restricted to specific sizes
  • Marquees – highly flexible and often available at very short notice
  • Temporary structures – highly flexible and can be installed quickly, often under permitted development rather than needing planning permission.

If your school or college needs space, for just a month or even many years, get in touch and let’s talk.

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Trafalgar Structures have been a fantastic support to us since we reopened after lockdown. The provision of a high quality marquee to help facilitate our opening strategy meant we could cater for adult and child classes whilst following the required government guidance. The service and workmanship from the team was first class and the team were always happy to help out if any issues arose and amendments to the marquee were needed. I look forward to working with the team again and would fully recommend for any marquee needs

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We used Trafalgar Structures at the start of lock down. We were very fortunate to be able to remain fully working however, as everyone did, we had to make some major adaptions on our site to accommodate the 2m distancing. I came across Trafalgar Structures and I found them to be extremely helpful, knowledgeable and helpful. We had constant changes to the brief but that didn’t matter to James and his team, they were very accommodating and continued to be very helpful and help fulfil the works we required as well as give a lot of suggestions to make this work. The team that erected/ dismantled the marquee were extremely professional and friendly and helpful throughout the 2 days. I would highly recommend Trafalgar Structures and I would certainly use them again. I cannot find fault in anything they did. Thank you all so much for your help and guidance

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Clipfine Limited

Trafalgar Structures came to the rescue when the school needed additional outdoor teaching and testing facilities during the Covid pandemic. The cost of hire was extremely competitive and more than reasonable, particularly when you consider their services are much in demand. From the MD to the installers on the ground they were easy to deal with – nothing was too much trouble. Even last minute changes, and their after sales service was just as good. Its not every day you hire a marquee, but if I have to in the future, Trafalgar will be my first port of call. A huge thank you to James and the team!

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Lady Eleanor Holles school