Shirley High School is a co-educational academy situated in the London Borough of Croydon. First opening in 1954 it now has specialist status as a performing arts college providing a culture rich education to a diverse cohort of students aged 11-18 years old. Following a successful refurbishment of their first floor science block the previous year, we were invited back to complete the refurb for the second floor.

Working in partnership with Kevin Morgan, the school’s Business Manager, we designed fitted lab benching in keeping with the phase one rollout to achieve a consistent look and functionality. The layout of the lab created central demonstration workstations, and practical benching with integrated storage around the perimeter. The school wanted a practical and interactive space for students to work collaboratively.

We used solid grade laminate for the science worktops as it is incredibly hard wearing, impermeable to water, and has high chemical and impact resistance. SGL is tested against EN438 so is durable and stain resistant. Reflecting the school’s branding we used a colour palette of blue, yellow and grey. The workstations were all fitted with power and gas supply.

Access to the second floor location was a challenge because of the size and weight of the worktops, but our installation team ensured a workable solution to ensure the install ran smoothly.

• Fitted specialist laboratory bench units