Bridging the Gap in Early Environmental Education

In our world where screens flash faster than butterflies and plastic toys outnumber wildflowers, children’s connection to nature is quietly eroding. This growing distance from the natural world poses long-term risks, not only for children’s development but also for the future of environmental stewardship.

That’s why creating well-designed, engaging outdoor spaces in nurseries, preschools, and primary schools is more important than ever. These spaces act as powerful extensions of the classroom—offering hands-on opportunities for young learners to engage with the environment, spark curiosity, and build a lasting appreciation for nature.

However, the UK’s unpredictable weather often restricts outdoor learning. That’s where innovative shade and shelter solutions make a difference. By incorporating canopies, covered walkways, and tensile fabric structures, schools can transform underused areas into vibrant, weather-resilient outdoor classrooms. These enhancements don’t just provide protection from the elements—they enable year-round exploration, discovery, and play.

In fact, a recent Natural England report highlights that children who spend time in nature develop stronger environmental values, emotional resilience, and social skills. Yet access to nature must be both intentional and inclusive—which is where smart infrastructure comes into play.

At Able Canopies, we’re proud to support schools in designing and installing outdoor learning environments that work in every season. Whether it’s a quiet reading corner under a sail shade or an open-air nature lab beneath a curved canopy, our structures help educators make the most of every square metre.

Let’s build spaces where the next generation learns not just about nature, but within it.

Case Study

Hanslope Park – Coniston Freestanding Canopies

In July 2025, we supplied and installed three Coniston Freestanding Canopiesat Hanslope Park in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

At Hanslope Park, improvements were underway to enhance the nursery’s outdoor environment, providing better access to fresh air, play, and outdoor learning. Working in partnership with Neville Special Projects Ltd, the nursery aimed to transform three separate play areas into sheltered, usable spaces all year round.

Neville Special Projects approached Able Canopies on behalf of their client to explore cost-effective options for freestanding canopy installations. Their goal was to strike the perfect balance between functionality, durability, and budget, ensuring the nursery received a high-quality, long-lasting solution that met their needs.

Following a detailed review of the site and the client’s objectives, we recommended the installation of a Coniston Freestanding Canopy for each area. The Coniston is one of our most popular and trusted structures, renowned for its robust aluminium frame, contemporary design, and all-weather performance.

We were pleased to work alongside Neville Special Projects Ltd. to deliver a canopy solution that supported their client’s goals and provided long-term value.

Installation Details:

• Contractor: Neville Special Projects Ltd
• Canopy Size: 1 no. 7m x 4m & 1 no. 6m x 4m & 1 no. 5m x 4m
• Canopy Colour: Silver Grey RAL 7001

Product highlight – Coniston Canopy

The Technical specifications of the Coniston – Able Canopies

The Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy is an exceptionally robust and sturdy canopy. It has many benefits & features that make it the perfect shade and shelter structure for a range of sectors, including education, leisure, healthcare and retail.

This high-quality commercial canopy has been specifically designed to perform in climate conditions that may exist in most given areas of installation. The main factors which are considered when deciding on structural design parameters are imposed & super imposed load (wind and snow), penetration by hailstones (roofing sheets), wind uplift and non-fragility (roof).

Please find each of these factors and how the Coniston conforms to them explained on this link

The Able Canopies Coniston roofing system is designed and installed to comply with the “A” non-fragile classification. A full design specification is available on request.

Features & Benefits of The Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy

• Full 10-Year Guarantee and a 25-Year Life Expectancy – The Coniston is supplied complete with a full 10-year guarantee offering you peace of mind that your canopy is of the highest quality and will last for many years to come.
• Fully Aluminium System – The canopy is constructed from aluminium with heavy-duty structural aluminium roof bars – for ultimate strength
• Stainless Steel Fixings – All of the fixings used for the Coniston are 316 marine-grade stainless steel for longevity and total resistance to corrosion
• Integral Aluminium Guttering – Our integral guttering system saves time on installation and creates an attractive, sleek design which is also stronger than an external gutter system. Click here to view the integral guttering close-up.
• 35mm Structured Polycarbonate Panels – These are light in weight and up to 200 times stronger than glass. These panels offer the best insulation properties available (1.2 W/mK) (much better than sealed, triple-glazed units). Available in clear and opal
• Fire Performance – The panels benefit from excellent fire performance & meet the European standards BS476 Part 7 with a class 1 fire rating and EN 13501 B-S1, D0.
• Sleek Design – The new design of the Coniston has clean, fresh lines and a simplified design which is of a higher quality and has an eye-catching and attractive appearance
• High UV Protection – During the manufacture of our polycarbonate panels, a layer of UV absorber is coextruded on both sides which forms a barrier offering high UV protection of up to 99% from the sun’s harmful UV rays
• Wide Range of Colour Options – The Coniston can be finished in a wide range of standard and non-standard RAL colours to match your existing surroundings (additional costs may apply)
• Large Projection – With a projection of up to 6m, the Coniston can create a large, shaded areas if required
• Unlimited Length – This canopy can be constructed to any length to suit your needs
• Available Upgrades – There are many upgrades available that can be added to your canopy during and after installation. View our range here > Canopy Optional Extras

Customer Reviews – Education

St Andrews C of E Primary School – Premises Officer, Clinton Davey – Crawley, West Sussex

“We have used Able Canopies twice now for major installs at the school. Each time I’m amazed in regards to their work ethic and how efficient they are. The quality is phenomenal. They are fully aware of our needs whilst onsite and extremely co-operative. I’m already looking forward to our next project.”

St John the Baptist Primary School– Rachel Ireland, Head Teacher – Colwick, Nottingham

“We experienced some delays to installation due to some council requirements (not Able canopies). The team at Able were fantastic in supporting the appropriate documents and site visits to be in place. I am especially grateful for Danielle who became the go to person for my project. She was friendly, organised, and efficient keeping me fully briefed on project developments. The team that installed the canopy were second to none. They even completed the project in a shorter time than originally planned. The installation team were friendly and approachable and worked around the children in the school (who thought they were fascinating!) I cannot recommend Able canopies highly enough; from the original enquiry, right through to the completed project.”

About the Natural England Children & Nature Report

Formally titled “The Children and Nature Programme 2019–2022 Learning Report” (NECR488).

Public release date: 4 September 2024 publications.naturalengland.org.uk / naturalengland.blog.gov.uk

Natural England’s “Children and Nature Programme 2019–2022 Learning Report” (NECR488), published on 4 September 2024, reveals that activity across 270 schools engaged around 53,000 children with outdoor learning experiences. The initiative’s learning highlighted the power of whole-school engagement, access to green spaces, dedicated training, and community involvement.

In parallel, the 2024 Children’s People & Nature Survey shows that 57% of children now report a high connection to nature (up from 52% in 2023), and 91% say being in nature makes them very happy. Notably, 81% of those in greener school settings reported enjoying school more as a result.

Able Canopies Ltd. design, manufacture and install commercial grade canopies, shade sails, awnings and shelters across the UK. We specialise in servicing the education, leisure, healthcare and retail sectors and have extensive experience working with schools, councils, architects and contracting firms.
For more information on our products and services, please contact us

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