Choosing the right notice board for any intended space or use can prove tricky as the wealth of choice out there is extensive, but choosing the right office board for use within a school requires even more thought as it will need to meet the health and safety standards expected within schools and its size and placement will too need to be taken into consideration. After all, placing a felt board upon which tacks are used within the reach of young children is not only irresponsible, but potentially dangerous. Therefore, it is important to think carefully about the uses for which a school notice board is required, and to consider where it is intended to be placed as well as taking into account the ages of the children to ensure you get it right.
Most schools makes us of several notice boards and buy different types of notice boards to be used in different locations and for different uses – and this is of course the most sensible and only cost effective and proper way to go about it. After all, and as aforementioned, the location a notice board will almost certainly need taking into account in order to determine what sort of notice board needs buying.
Within the Classroom
There are likely to be several notice boards within a classroom as notice boards serve several important functions within most school and learning environments.
Firstly and foremost, boards are used by teachers as a teaching aid and most often occupy the front wall of a classroom for this reason. Secondly, notice boards often decorate remaining walls and are used to create educational displays and place children’s projects and pictures. A rewards board might also feature in a classroom.
Whilst traditionally, teachers have long used blackboards within UK classrooms, in the past twenty years this has changed rapidly with the white board now becoming the most popular board option for this purpose. Then, when purchasing a board to be used at the head of a class and for daily use as a teaching aid, the most sensible and popular option in 2016, and whatever age students are being taught, is to opt for a non magnetic white board which can also be used as a projection screen upon which slides, movies and computer screens can be projected.
Meanwhile, felt covered cork boards provide the ideal type of notice board for use on remaining classroom walls and when intended to be used to display projects, artwork and the likes. Further, for use within classrooms in which younger children are being taught, the specific material used to cover felt boards means that pins and tacks can be replaced with Velcro alternatives and accessories to maximise safety and enable younger students to use the boards without requiring supervision or needing to ask a teacher for assistance.
Finally, because felt boards can also be purchased in a wide selection of different and bold colours and are Velcro friendly, they really do open up a wealth of creative possibilities. To discover some of them, get ideas as to how to use a felt board to its fullest within a classroom and to browse some of the hundreds of creative, fun and educational felt and Velcro accessories which can be used on felt notice boards, visit the Modern Teach Aids website.
Within Corridors and Communal Spaces
School corridors get heavy and daily footfall. They are also likely to have a diverse mix of people (from teachers to students and parents to guests and visitors) passing through them. Hence, and especially in schools in which corridors are not especially wide, lockable or covered notice boards are almost always the best option for use within corridors and communal hallways and spaces.
Lockable notice boards prevent notices from being knocked off, boards from getting dog eared as people brush past and things from going missing, unseen or becoming vandalised. Further, they also prevent younger students from being potentially injured if pins are used to affix information to boards and can help to prevent children’s displays and hard work from getting damaged.
Fortunately, lockable notice boards just like regular felt boards can be bought in 2016 in arrange of colours and designs. Hence, rather than detracting from the environment in which they are placed, they can further add to it.
Just remember, when purchasing lockable notice boards that depending on what type you opt for, you will need to take into consideration the dimensions of the space in which it is to be placed. Notice boards which feature a lockable frontage or covering will require the space to permit anybody using the notice board to fully open and close the front part. Further, the larger the notice board the more space it is likely to require in order to open and close as many such notice boards open out via hinges much like a cupboard door.
Then, before buying a lockable notice board visit Notice Boards Online to take a look at the options available and ensure you make the right choice.
Within Reception Areas and Offices
Private or ‘staff only’ reception areas, staff rooms and offices used by staff and adults within schools are not dissimilar to any type of UK offices. That is, much of the equipment they contain and make regular use of or rely on will be exactly the same as that required in order for any office based business to function efficiently. Hence, when looking to by notice boards for a reception, staff room or school offices, it is advisable to opt for a white board.
Either a split white board which features a magnetic, steel backed panel or simply a fully magnetic white board is usually the best option. This is especially true in busy reception offices where staff are receiving phone calls and visitors regularly and required as such to quickly and concisely relay or note information as they work as a magnetic white board will provide the perfect aid upon which to do this; staff can simply jot a memo, message, reminder or prompt onto a board, quickly and easily amend memos, affix papers to the board and even stick Post It notes directly onto a white board surface.
More Information, Ideas and Inspiration
For more creative and innovative as well as some educational ways of putting school notice boards to use, give the feature: 33 Teacher Made Bulletin Boards for Back to School, published via the Buzzfeed website a look.
Alternatively, or in addition, visit the Boards Direct website and Online Shop which stocks and sells a number of creatively designed notice boards for use within schools and nursery’s.