Spring 2017

Editorial
Lockers that look
and last
Editorial kindly provided by Crown Sports Lockers
Most of us can recall the chore of
carrying bags, books, clothes and
other paraphernalia around with us
when locker doors were broken or
hanging loose.
Whatever’s inside them, lockers
present a pupil’s safe haven for all that
stuff they would otherwise have to lug
around with them through the day.
Some schools and academies enforce
rigid codes of behaviour about how
pupils manage their lockers, others
are more relaxed in their approach.
“Pupils are pretty well-behaved
generally,” says Adrian Charlesworth,
Estates Officer at Nottingham High
School. “Major issues with vandalism
for example are very rare indeed.”
With 1,000 pupils aged 5 to 18, this
private school has a large locker
requirement across three floors -
especially so in the last few years,
Adrian explains: “We became coeducational
in 2015 and have been
refurbishing all the corridors with
new carpeting, doors and suspended
ceilings. Pupil lockers are all fitted in
the corridors so it’s important they
look the part.”
The school allocates year 7 and above
their own locker, large enough to
store books, bags, “sandwiches and
drinks”. “The lads’ main priority is
they are big enough to hold a football
and boots,” quips Adrian, “which they
are, measuring 300mm x 400mm and
500mm deep.”
Gone are the days of the old
freestanding steel lockers that the
school’s maintenance team had to rivet
to the walls themselves. “We choose
light oak wooden ones now, most
with shelving. Our supplier installs
them to our specification - complete
with skirting and end panels - which
requires that there are no voids for
crisp packets and drinks cans to
fall into. The inclined top panels are
inscribed into the corridor wall to
ensure pupils cannot stack stuff on
top of the lockers,” Adrian explains.
At the end of the summer term, pupils
have to clear their lockers and remove
their padlocks, regardless of whether
they will be using them in the next
school year. “We need to do that so
that the caretakers can check them
for any damage,” Adrian adds. “Any
padlocks still in place are chopped
off and the contents sent to lost
property.”
After several summers refurbishing
and refitting its corridors, Nottingham
High School has transformed its
interiors, a key factor in portraying
a quality image for present and
prospective parents.
Adrian’s top tip:
“Ensure you choose a supplier,
whose install team can run the
project smoothly, efficiently and
with minimum disruption. The one
that’s fitted all our lockers in the
last few years have been exceptional.
Contractors come and go here daily so
you soon gauge those who know what
they’re doing.”
Photograph courtesy of Nottingham
High School: Stylish and long lasting.
www.ofas.org.uk
SPRING 2017
19