This temporary classroom case study comes from a primary school in Surrey that needed two classrooms relocated while significant building works were carried out in the main school building. The brief was specific: the structures had to be ready before the first day of term, had to work as proper classrooms and had to feel nothing like a temporary building to the children using them.
The Temporary Classroom Case Study: Background
The school needed to move two classrooms out of the main building for approximately six months while works were carried out in that section. The structures had to be on the school’s own grounds, close enough that pupils remained part of the school community but fully separate from the construction activity next door.
The Department for Education’s school buildings guidance sets clear expectations for temporary educational accommodation. We used that as the baseline and built above it.
Why We Chose Solid Wall for a Surrey Primary School
We specified solid wall construction rather than PVC for two reasons that matter specifically in a school environment. Acoustics come first — a PVC structure in a classroom setting creates a noisy, echo-prone learning space. Children find it harder to concentrate and teachers have to work harder to be heard. A solid wall structure performs significantly better acoustically and the classroom sounds and feels much more like a permanent building.
Thermal performance is the second reason. The structures were going to be in use through autumn and winter terms in Surrey. Solid wall cladding provides substantially better insulation than PVC, keeping the space warmer and reducing the heating load.
Both structures were fitted with double-glazed doors and windows for natural light and ventilation, access ramps meeting DDA accessibility requirements, full internal lighting and electrical installations, and appropriate heating systems. Read more about our temporary classroom structures.
Installation on a Live School Site
Installation on an occupied school site required careful coordination with school management. The main building and its other classrooms remained in full operation throughout our installation. Our team planned the work to minimise any presence during the school day, completing the majority of the work outside core hours. The structures were handed over ahead of schedule.
In Use and Outcome
The classrooms ran as standard school rooms for the full six-month hire period. Same teachers, same pupils, same resources. Teaching staff noted the acoustic quality as a genuine positive — significantly quieter and more focused than they had expected from a temporary building.
At the end of the hire, our team dismantled both structures in a single day and returned the school grounds to their pre-installation state ready for the new term.
Full project details are on our Surrey classroom case study page. To discuss a school or educational building requirement, contact us here. We work with schools across Surrey and the South East and Greater London.