the importance of acoustics in schools
Education is a top priority and a ‘moral duty’ for the Government, yet, poor acoustic design and its effect on teaching and learning is often an overlooked issue. This has turned schools into sonic battlegrounds.
In this article, we’re going to discuss acoustics in schools and the dangers associated with having too much noise in schools. We cover the current landscape, what can be done to help with these matters, and more. Read on to find out.
what are school acoustics?
School acoustics are the measures put in place to ensure that noise is managed in school environments, this involves treating walls and ceilings effectively to handle large amounts of noise and reverberation.
‘sonic battlegrounds’ in education
Schools are crucial for a country’s prosperity. They are intended to be arenas of learning, debate and development, where young minds learn information and skills to equip them for the future. Unfortunately they have also become sonic battlegrounds, under threat from an issue often unconsidered.
Noise pollution has a significant impact on health and learning, yet it isn’t always considered during the design process. A study by Jacksons Fencing found that only 30% of specifiers have used acoustic solutions for schools.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation of 35 decibels (dB(A)) in classrooms for good teaching and learning conditions is frequently exceeded. A study in Germany even found the average classroom noise level to be 65 dB(A).
noise in schools causes serious health & behavioural problems
Poor acoustics in schools will have a negative impact on children’s ability to learn. One study found that on average, speech intelligibility in just the fourth row of a classroom is a mere 50%. If students can only hear half of what their teacher is saying, how are they expected to learn and retain information?
Not only this, but noise in schools has a negative impact on pupil behaviour, leading to poor attitude and unruliness. With class sizes rising, it’s likely that this problem will only get worse.
Significant noise doesn’t just disrupt lessons. As noise levels increase so do teachers’ heart rate, this causes stress, which can then lead to serious health issues, such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. According to statistics from the Department for Education (DfE) teachers in England are taking 51,000 sick days a week, costing schools an estimated £75m a year.
Stress is a large contributor to this. In the private sector, workers in noisy open offices take 70% more sick days than those that work from home, so it’s not inconceivable that public sector teachers are suffering the same fate.
school acoustic design – what needs to be done?
Poor school acoustic design is something that affects teachers throughout the country. Anik Hussain, a teacher in Nottinghamshire, got in touch about this challenge.
“Every Monday I teach lessons in a large room, with only hard surfaces and hard furniture. The echoes are a nightmare, and I can rarely get my voice heard. I always leave school that day with a major headache”. This is a great example of how noise can ruin a lesson, without taking into account student behaviour, teacher ability or even outdoor sounds.
The damage to children’s education and school finances needs to be addressed. However human cost should be reason enough, as the consequences on teachers’ health will have a serious impact on life expectancy. In 2011 the WHO reported noise contributed to 1.7m years of life lost a year in Europe.
School acoustic design needs to be revamped.
acoustic solutions for schools
To ensure environmental noise pollution doesn’t impact student learning and staff health, head teachers, school governors and local authorities need to put acoustics at the top of the agenda when consulting architects and specifiers. School acoustics should be considered from the start in any new build, while refurbishment of existing facilities need to be a top priority.
SonaSpray acoustic solutions for schools
Noise pollution in schools is unnecessary and easily fixable. Many acoustic solutions such as our SonaSpray reverberation control range are simple to install and cost-effective. Not only this, but they’ll make a massive difference to children’s education.
At a school we recently worked on in central London, there was a room in which four classes were taught at the same time. With the hard surfaces the reverberation time was extremely high, so you can imagine the cacophony of four sets of children and teachers all talking at once; teachers reported 90dB was not uncommon.
We installed our acoustic spray in under two days, cutting reverb time comfortably below BB93 regulations for acoustic design of schools. It’s crucial that we sound the alarm about noise in schools and encourage leaders to take the initiative to tackle it head on.
contact us
For more information regarding our reverberation control range for noise control in schools or if you have any questions regarding acoustics in schools you can call us direct on 01474 854902 or fill in our contact us form and a member of our friendly team will get back to you as soon as possible.