🔹 Overview
Great Baddow High School partnered with Simple Acoustics to improve sound quality across several key areas, including their hearing resource base, main hall, and classrooms. The aim was to create calmer, more effective learning environments while maintaining the functionality and visual appeal of each space.
The Challenge
The school faced challenges with excessive noise and reverberation, particularly in spaces supporting students with hearing impairments and additional needs such as autism and ADHD.
The main hall required a carefully considered solution due to its multi-use nature, while classrooms needed improved acoustics to support both teaching and concentration. Alongside performance, it was important that the final solution complemented the school’s environment.
The Solution
Simple Acoustics carried out a detailed on-site review and worked closely with the school to design tailored acoustic treatments for each space.
From selecting colours and materials to planning layouts, every detail was considered to ensure both acoustic performance and visual impact. Installation was completed during school holidays to minimise disruption, with ongoing communication throughout the project.
The Results
The improvements had an immediate and noticeable impact across the school. The hall was transformed both acoustically and visually, creating a calmer environment that supports students during key periods such as exams.
Classrooms also saw significant benefits, with improved speech clarity, reduced strain on teachers, and a more focused atmosphere for students.
Here’s what the school had to say about their experience working with Simple Acoustics:
The hearing resource base has recently been acoustically treated, as has primmer hall and two additional classrooms. Simple Acoustics was helpful from start to finish. They came to the school and quoted for the various rooms with no obligations. Whilst we were sorting the dynamics of the rooms with colours and style, Greg was available to discuss and explain our options, showing us samples of the different acoustic boards that were available. SA came to the school on several occasions offering us an acoustic review of the area, showing the array of colours available and discussing how he would be able to match the school requirements. They didn’t add any pressure and had no expectations of the school ordering the material.
Once approval had been obtained Greg visited the school again to discuss the finer detail of colour and materials ensuring that all the areas would be fit for purpose both acoustically and aesthetically. The hall was particularly challenging due to it’s dynamic use. SA worked with our technical team to ensure that the hall could continue to be used how we had always used it, whilst improving the acoustics.
The installation team came during the school holidays, ensuring the least disruption possible to the school day, to complete the work. SA kept in contact with relevant staff and made changes in line with the products that we had ordered. On returning to school the rooms had been transformed. Aesthetically the hall looked refreshed. Consideration was given around not only the acoustics of the hall, but also around the symmetry of the boards and the hexagonal shape. Staff have mentioned how calming it feels to walk into the hall and are pleased that the work has been completed before our students sit their GCSEs. It is felt that the improved acoustics will really help the students feel calmer during the stressful exam period.
Classrooms have also been acoustically treated. The same care and attention given to the hall, was given to each of the rooms. The acoustic material not only looks smart in the classroom but has had an immediate effect on the teachers and students who have used them. Teachers have explained how they do not have to force voice projection, get a sense of clam walking into the room and have noticed the difference in the students they teach, especially as a number of the students using these rooms have additional needs such as autism, ADHD and deafness. Students have expressed a different feel as they walk in the room. They’ve noticed the ‘absence of sound’ and some have said ‘it feels calmer’, whilst others are unsure what the difference is but have liked the feeling of the newly treated classrooms and the sense of peace.
As a school we have been very impressed by Simple Acoustics, the service they provide is personable, calm and with no expectations. We will be getting our dining room completed by Simple Acoustics in the near future and are looking forward to the difference this makes to all our staff and students.
Mrs J Campbell – Head of RBDS
Great Baddow High School – Chelmsford, Essex
