Coniston Apex Freestanding Canopy: Creating Covered Spaces for Schools

As part of our commitment to providing schools with shade and shelter structures that tick all the boxes they require, we are pleased to announce that we have introduced another product to our growing range of commercial canopies.

First, we have a confession, the Coniston Apex is a freestanding canopy that is not entirely new; we have installed this large, robust structure a number of times during recent years as a bespoke school canopy, yet it proved so popular, we decided to welcome it to the gang permanently.

It is derived from our most popular canopy for schools – the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy, which is not only high in quality, it is also cost effective. And while the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy can be supplied as a freestanding canopy, it is not ideal for extra-large areas as although it has an unlimited length, the maximum projection is up to 6 metres. For schools that would like to cover extra-large areas such as outdoor dining areas, outdoor classrooms and MUGA’s, a 6m projection wasn’t sufficient.

We therefore designed the Coniston Apex by effectively connecting two Coniston canopies together, back-to-back, with an apex roof to create the Coniston Apex. This stylish structure therefore boasts all the features and benefits of our most popular school canopy, whilst also offering a much larger projection of up to a whopping 12 metres while retaining the unlimited length.

With the addition of canopy upgrades such as canopy side panels, the Coniston Apex freestanding canopy is the perfect outdoor dining canopy, creating extra space within your school grounds for pupils to dine in a spacious area, freeing up space indoors too.

It is also the perfect choice for creating an all-weather outdoor classroom with the addition of canopy side panels to block wind and driving rain, whilst also creating a designated area for pupils to stay within during lessons. It’s also perfect for many other uses including covering MUGA’s and outdoor play areas.

Here’s some examples of the Coniston Apex installed at schools near you:

St. Benedict’s Catholic College, Essex

We installed a 16.5m x 9m Coniston Apex at St. Benedict’s Catholic College in Colchester in March 2025 with side panels at one end of the canopy and a joining Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy to create seamless weather protection from the building to the canopy.

The canopy is used to provide a large, covered outdoor dining area for their pupils.

You can find out more about this project there: Outdoor Dining Canopy in Essex

Coleg Cambria, Clwyd

Since July 2024, Coleg Cambria in Wrexham has benefited from one 17m x 8m and one 14m x 8m Coniston Apex Freestanding Canopies which are used as outdoor classrooms.

They provide a dry, sheltered area where their students can practice practical tasks such as paving and brickwork. This allows the students to practise these skills all year round, even during wet weather which would usually bring such lessons to a stop.

You can find out more about this project here: Outdoor Classroom in Clwyd

Loreto Sixth Form College, Greater Manchester

Whilst we don’t have completed images of this installation, it’s a great example which shows the versatility of the Coniston Apex Freestanding Canopy. Loreto Sixth Form College in Hulme, needed a covered outdoor area where their students could dine outside all year round.

We installed a 9m x 12m Coniston Apex that blends into a 15.5m x 2m Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy to provide seamless weather protection with a covered walkway and queuing area that leads to the outdoor dining canopy.

If you’d like to find out more about this exciting new product, click here: Coniston Apex Freestanding Canopy, or get in touch here: Contact Us

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.
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The Coniston Apex Freestanding Canopy: Creating Covered Spaces for School Dining, Learning and Play

Here’s some examples of the Coniston Apex installed at schools near you:

St. Benedict’s Catholic College, Essex

Coleg Cambria, Clwyd

Loreto Sixth Form College, Greater Manchester

See also