Outdoor teaching spaces are going to be an important part of the educational mix for the autumn term and beyond as we seek to maintain social distancing and prevent a return of COVID-19.

But how suitable for teaching are the outdoor spaces adjacent to your school buildings? Is the infrastructure in place to teach high quality, engaging lessons that make use of all the technology teachers and students have become accustomed to? And is the outdoor space going to be safe, secure and comfortable – consider the lighting level, acoustics and the ability for students to hear what’s being said, and whether additional heating might be needed for outdoor spaces to remain practical into the cooler autumn period. Much of the equipment that is used in a typical classroom session requires electricity through a standard 13 Amp socket. But just because you are moving the classroom outside, that doesn’t mean you can’t use these same devices.

With a retractable, pop-up power unit or an in-ground power unit from UK company Pop Up Power Supplies®, it is easy to ensure a paved outdoor space is ready for use as a teaching space. These units provide on-demand and safe access to electricity, data connections, water and more, so setting up a temporary classroom space even for just a few hours is practical and easy. They also minimise the risk of trips and falls as trailing electrical cables can be reduced, so ideal from a health and safety perspective.

Pop-up units are ‘there when you need them and hidden when you don’t’. They are raised easily from the ground using a turning handle and returned into the ‘hidden’ position when not in-use. They can be configured to provide multiple power sockets to provide power to multiple devices simultaneously – so you can use electronic whiteboards, audio systems, heaters and lighting for the duration of the session. In-ground units provide the same kind of on-demand access, but they are permanently submerged into the ground with a flip lid opening to give access to power, data, water, etc. They can be used with the lids locked down for additional safety. The lids/covers for both the pop-up power units and in-ground units are designed to accommodate paving slabs, cobbles, setts, grass and any other type of surface material which means they blend seamlessly with their surroundings. Installation is easy too, and full specification advice and support is available directly from Pop Up Power Supplies®.

Take a look at our pages on pop-up units and in-ground units to find out more.