Recognising the impact a positive learning environment can have on students, Valspar Trade is proud to have supported the renovation of Hill Park School, donating a range of its paint products, colour expertise and staff volunteers to help transform the school into a fresh, clean and calm space.
Located in Brighton, Hill Park School is a special education school, described as providing a positive and dynamic school community. While the school interior was in need of renovation and redecoration, sadly limited budgets and available funding presented a challenge.
Clare Langhorne, Head of Secondary at Hill Park School, said: “We initially reached out to Valspar Trade to see if they would be willing to support us with a paint donation. The response was more than we could have hoped, not only supplying us with a range of Valspar Trade paint products but also supporting with the colour specification process and even arranging for Valspar Trade staff to come and help with the painting itself.”
Valspar Trade has donated a range of its products to the school, including Valspar Trade Tough Silk, Wood & Metal Gloss and Wood & Metal Knot Block Wood Primer & Undercoat, for the 1,200 sqm of corridor walls, 2,400 sqm of classroom walls and 1,000m of skirting boards and architraves. Working closely with the school a bespoke colour palette was created, focussed around blue and teal shades for the ground floor and first floor classrooms, including Misty Harbour, Blue Wool and In the Shallows. Daffodil Yellow was also colour matched for the corridors and central areas, creating a bright and welcoming interior, as well as meeting the required Light Reflectance Values (LRV) for visually impaired students.
Speaking about the colours specified, Richard Palmer, Head of Trade at Valspar Trade explained: “When it comes to choosing colours for educational spaces, such as schools, there is a lot to consider. Colour really does have the power to positively (or negatively) impact concentration, creativity and productivity levels.
“For example, greens, blues and greys are known to promote feelings of calm and positive well-being, with blue tones specifically highlighted as a preferred colour for those with a visual impairment. These cool tones can also contribute to reduced stimulation within individuals who may have ADHD or those with a neurodiversity, such as autism. Our aim was to create a series of inviting and calm interior spaces, that provided students and staff with a clean and fresh learning environment.
“As well as colour, durability was understandably another priority, especially within the corridors and central area that will see a large amount of daily footfall. Our Tough Silk was the perfect product for the job, with its stain resistance and scrubbability rating providing long-term protection against marks, stains and scuffs.”
During the school summer holidays, more than 100 volunteers, including some from Valspar Trade, helped to decorate the corridors and classrooms.
Richard added: “We are delighted to have been able to support Hill Park School, it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to give back to a community. A school interior really does have such an impact on a child’s learning experience and so we are thrilled to have been able to provide Hill Park students and staff with a new, fresh and clean environment to enjoy.”
Clare concluded: “Our budget means that we are very limited in terms of what we can do with the school interior. While we have a site team, their time is filled with general school maintenance. Some of the classrooms haven’t been painted for 15 years, so to have this support from Valspar Trade has been incredible. Having a freshly decorated school will make such a difference. The children gain so much from it just by having a nice learning environment, it makes them feel looked after and nurtured, feelings that are really important. They’re going to be so shocked in September – it will be wonderful.”
For more information, please visit: www.valspartrade.co.uk
Photograph: Valspar Trade staff volunteered to help paint the school.