Co-op Academy Bebington

We helped Co-op Academy Bebington ease pressure on indoor dining by creating a covered outdoor space – so pupils have somewhere dry to sit at lunchtime, even when the weather turns.

Background

Co-op Academy Bebington was struggling at lunchtime. Indoor dining space was tight, and when the weather was bad it pushed even more students inside, putting extra strain on the canteen and surrounding areas.

This was the fourth school we’ve worked on with Julie Mounfield, Operations & Facilities Manager, and the third within the Co-op Academies Trust. We were brought in with a simple aim: create long-lasting covered outdoor dining space the school could use in wet weather.

The requirement

Co-op Academy Bebington needed:

  • More covered outdoor dining space to help with lunchtime capacity
  • Shelter that worked alongside a new food pod (an additional serving point outside)
  • An installation delivered on time, with minimal fuss on a live school site

The challenge

This was a straightforward project, with no major site constraints flagged. The focus was on getting the right canopy in place and delivering it smoothly.

The solution

We installed a mix of structures to create usable covered space across the outdoor dining area:

  • A Connekt back-to-back canopy to provide a larger sheltered zone for seating, positioned alongside the food pod
  • Three umbrella canopies to add smaller pockets of cover elsewhere, giving students more options to sit outside

With cover in place, the food pod and outdoor seating can stay in use in wet weather, which helps take the edge off busy lunchtimes indoors.

Results

Co-op Academy Bebington now has more covered outdoor dining space, which helps reduce crowding in the canteen and internal spaces at lunchtime. Pupils can still go outside and sit under cover in poor weather, making the overall flow of lunchtime much easier to manage.

“We chose to work with Canopies UK again because the service has been excellent. The installation team were great and worked tirelessly.”

Julie Mounfield, Operations & Facilities Manager

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