Having previously worked with Haberdasher Aske's Academy, we were delighted to be involved in the design and planning of the interior for their new sixth form area. The academy asked us to provide a standalone sixth form design. This was a design they wanted to make an impression on both staff and students, making it irresistible to any candidate looking for the perfect school and environment to start their sixth form study.

They wanted to provide a modern and practical educational design to attract students from across the country to sixth form study at their academy.

The Essex Group were asked to select and supply a range of products, in a variety of exciting colours and finishes that represented the schools ethos, and provided a practical and inviting study area, recreation area designed to sit perfectly alongside the teaching area to meet the changing demands of sixth form study.

The space needed to provide for three zones, working seamlessly together.

Zone 1 was to offer a social space where students had the flexibility to relax in groups, study on their own and socialise within a welcoming and relaxing yet functional easy to maintain space, which could be adapted and rearranged with ease as needed. A combination of modular soft seating sofas, linkable in many combinations with complementary lounge tables, soft stools and laptop tables, side tables with power supply gave the perfect balance of comfort and practicality.

Zone 2 was to provide group study space, where students could gather. It had to be highly engaging. Our solutions provided a wide range of colour choice and adaptability to meet the demanding needs of sixth form students covering a broad curriculum base. Study booths, bench tables, and multifunctional folding tables with one person handling gave the students the flexibility to study alone or using collaboration study tables and easily change the layout to enhance their study options.

Zone 3 was to give a formal teaching space. The space had to be suitable for both teaching staff and students, and offer maximum versatility with adaptable nesting and stacking tables allowing the dynamics of the space to change easily to meet teaching needs. Seating in both lightweight metal framed chairs and chairs with moveable castors perfectly complemented the tables to provide a comfortable practical teaching space which provided the modern engaging environment required.

We were able to showcase our ideas to Haberdasher Aske's with full space plans, 3D design visuals and create a product brochure so they could clearly see our vision to meet the needs of their modern and busy sixth form academy space.

We were delighted to be the chosen supplier of the equipment and for our suggestions to have been so welcomed to inform their choices.