Case study · Education / Schools
Nottinghamshire Multi-Academy Trust
14-school signage refresh
Coordinated wayfinding, safeguarding, and fire safety signage refresh across 14 primary and secondary schools. Standardised system, framework pricing, and phased install across one academic year.
14
Schools
1,800+
Signs across all schools
3 terms
Phased install schedule
32%
Lower per-sign cost vs single-school orders
The challenge
A 14-school multi-academy trust in Nottinghamshire was updating safeguarding policies and identified that signage across the schools was inconsistent. Some schools had recent installations, others were on signs from 15 years ago. The trust wanted a coordinated refresh: safeguarding signage (visitors, sign-in procedure, reporting concerns), fire safety to current Fire Safety Order 2005 standards, and updated wayfinding aligned with each school's identity but built on a consistent system.
What we did
Framework agreement with phased rollout across the academic year. Standardised signage specification (substrate, typography, colour) with each school's name and house colours allowed in defined areas. Volume pricing across the trust. Safeguarding signage developed in collaboration with the trust's designated safeguarding lead.
The trust comprises 14 primary and secondary schools across Nottinghamshire. The trust's estates manager flagged signage as a coordinated refresh opportunity following a Trust-wide safeguarding policy update.
The brief
Three priorities. Safeguarding signage developed with the trust's designated safeguarding lead — visitor sign-in, reporting concerns, safe-walking routes for primary schools, and signage at every external entry making clear that visitors must report to reception. Fire safety brought up to current standards across all 14 schools — fire exit, assembly point, fire action notices, photoluminescent specification on the major escape routes. Wayfinding for visitors with each school's name and identity but built on a consistent visual system so a visitor moving between schools (parents with children at multiple schools, peripatetic staff) recognises the system.
What we did
Framework specification developed with the trust's estates and safeguarding teams. Each school had a half-day site survey to map gaps and existing signage. Manufacture and install ran across three terms of the academic year — typically two schools per half-term, scheduled around term breaks to minimise disruption.
The numbers
1,800+ signs across the 14 schools. Volume pricing on the framework reduced per-sign cost by ~32% compared with single-school orders. Phased installation meant the trust's budget could be drawn down across two financial years.
Continuous improvement: schools now order replacement signage through the same framework specification, ensuring consistency is maintained as signs are damaged or schools refurbish.
"Splitting it across 14 schools individually would have cost more, taken longer, and produced 14 different specifications. The framework approach gave us a coordinated system at a better price."
Estates Manager
Nottinghamshire Multi-Academy Trust
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