News
November 2010
The Winchcombe School, Newbury
An Installation by School Stage
Click here to download and view the PDF of the case study.
The Winchcombe School for primary education in Newbury received a full installation of sound, lighting and AV equipment from dedicated school installation specialists, School Stage, in November 2010.
Finance Officer at the school, Karen Hayward, approached School Stage after discovering them on the internet. “We had visited other schools to see their set ups and been in touch with several installation companies,” explains Karen, “but no- one seemed able to meet all our requirements satisfactorily until we came across School Stage. We liked the fact that they specialise exclusively in school installations rather than being part of a cross-market production company. School performance spaces are unique environments which demand specialist technical knowledge and an understanding of how schools operate.
“In addition to this, we had the significant consideration of an asbestos roof and had yet to be excited by any of the solutions put forward. School Stage came up with the innovative idea of using a truss which could span a considerable distance in such a way as to simultaneously solve the asbestos problem whilst concealing any unsightly cabling into the bargain. We were very impressed with the detail and quality of their solution.”
“The Winchcombe School needed a set-up that would meet the multi-functional requirements of school assemblies, music lessons, after-school clubs, evening classes, discos and school performances,” says Chris Newton, MD of School Stage. “Our design needed to be not only versatile, but robust enough to take the abuse of up to 15 or 16 hours of daily use!
“It is not unusual for schools to be so diverse and wide ranging in their requirements yet we must also keep it simple enough for children and time-pressed teachers to be able to get to grips with.”
The final solution was based on School Stage’s suggestion of a 12m long box truss from Lightstructures, which was Chemfix-ed into the wall for stability, with a lighting bar suspended beneath. Several pillars obstructed the route of cable runs so these were re-routed through the wall and into galvanised trunking on the roof to circumnavigate the asbestos.
The equipment specification was tailor-made for the school’s requirements:
“Chris fitted the spec to our budget and took time to explain the consequences of any changes we made to the original plans,” continues Karen. “This gave us confidence that we were not being sold anything that we didn’t need, and we were able to take advantage of his considerable knowledge and experience to make the right choices.”
“To maximise Winchcombe’s limited budget we addressed their immediate needs first whilst factoring in the potential for future expansion as funds become available,” says Chris. “At this point in time the lighting is fairly basic, consisting of four LED parcans, six zoom profiles and an 8-way dimmer.
“We have also given them the capability of switching between two kinds of lighting control, with a choice of instant presets for every day use or full creative control for school productions from a Zero 88 Juggler lighting desk.”
The sound system needed to be diverse enough to cater for assembly music, speech, presentations, and discos and to transmit at a consistent level through the whole of the hall.
This was achieved by a combination of Shure handheld and headset microphones, and Tannoy and QSC speakers managed by a DBX processor.
A lockable flight case on wheels contains storage for microphones, a laptop, a rack-mounted 6-channel mixer, CD player with USB ports, amps and a processor, enabling the students to mix between microphones, CDs and iPods.
The sound system was acoustically analysed and programmed to ensure an audible clarity.
Finally, an EKIE 5500-lumen projector is mounted centrally on the truss, with a remotely retractable projection screen (“…which the kids love!”) located on the wall at the front of the hall giving great sight lines.
Being approved NICEIC contractors, School Stage were also able to provide the additional power supply required to run the new equipment in the hall, with the whole installation completed in only 3 days.
Four pupils – ten-year old Nolu, Sophie, Justine and Hannah – had been trained on the equipment following installation and were effusive in their response:
“Our new equipment makes assemblies look better, more children can sing because they can see the words on the dropdown screen, and it’s more interesting because we are not just looking at the Head and plain walls!” says Nolu.
Justine – a natural technician if ever there was one, with her understanding of the technical set up and operation already firmly set in her mind says: “This new equipment is much easier to set up and use than the stuff we had before. There’s no overhead projector, the projection screen is central and we don't need cables all over the place - it makes school look more professional. It has been easier to learn and we are now helping to teach the other pupils – we have even been able to show the teachers when they get stuck!”
Training is an important part of the School Stage package, as is the aftercare and support following installation. As Chris points out: “We consider training as paramount, giving children access to professional quality equipment chosen for its ease of use, simplicity, robustness and suitability for the job. Training the children really opened my eyes as I hadn’t realised the impact it has on them, especially the ‘non-academic’ ones. It provides them with a vital grounding in the technology used in the professional world and opens up the possibility of a technical career within our industry. We often pop back to see how they are getting on and they know they can call on us if they need to.”
“It is important to have high tech, contemporary equipment in schools – and just as important that we know how to use it,” says Karen. “Chris is adamant that children should be trained in how to use it, rather than leaving it to the sole responsibility of the teachers. He also believes the children should be encouraged to train the other children and that the equipment is not ring-fenced away from them.
“The children benefit from being given the responsibility of looking after it – it raises standards and gives them a sense of pride in it and in their own abilities. We are very happy with our new installation and are the envy of other schools. We are about to start an after-school Sound and Lighting Club.”
“The equipment School Stage has specified is high tech, yet easy to use – even the teachers are able to use it without feeling intimidated!” adds Head Teacher, Felix Rayner, “plus it makes me look good in assembly!”
