Knowledge, materials and practical steps that help schools build a better sound environment.
Noise at school is not only a matter of comfort. It affects communication, concentration, teachers’ work and pupils’ everyday functioning. This section gathers the materials, publications and tools intended for schools.
Information on acoustic conditions, measurement and the steps a school can take.
Knowledge for schools
In our „Knowledge and research" library we publish analyses of noise, acoustics, learning, and the health and functioning of children and teachers. Below are the publications most useful in school practice.
A project of the Institute for Educational Comfort with its own identity
What is Noise Fighters?
An education programme that helps children understand the school’s sound environment: recognising the sounds around them, noticing when sound becomes a burden, and learning simple ways to respond. The Institute’s team runs the sessions at the school with its own materials - the school does not have to prepare anything.
How the programme works
01
We explore sounds
Children learn to notice and name the different sound situations that arise at school.
02
We talk about reactions
A conversation about when noise starts to disturb, tire or make focusing harder.
03
We look for ways to act
Children learn simple ways to respond and to talk about what they need.
04
We involve the school
The sessions can be a starting point for a conversation about conditions in classrooms and shared spaces.
Materials
a ready-made presentation and sessions run by the Institute’s team,
materials for teachers,
materials and small gifts for the children,
plush toys of the programme’s characters,
Hush Hero - the character who helps children talk about sound.
Who it is for
For schools that want to take up the subject of noise and the sound environment with their pupils. The scope and dates are agreed individually with each school.
A Noise Fighters session at school.
Applications from schools are open right now. Find out more →
The basics of how sound affects learning and wellbeing.
GuidePDFComing soon
Form-time lesson plan
A ready-made lesson plan on noise in class and during breaks.
Lesson planPDFComing soon
Information poster
To put up in a corridor, the canteen or the after-school room.
A3 posterPDFComing soon
Initial school observation checklist
A simple form for walking through the school yourself.
ChecklistPDFComing soon
The PDFs will be published once the Institute approves each edition. Materials for children and parents are in the For parents section.
When is it worth looking at a school’s acoustics?
The situations below are not a diagnosis. They are examples of observations that in many schools turn out to be the start of a conversation about sound conditions.
Vocal effort
Teachers often have to speak very loudly to be understood.
Intelligibility in class
Pupils at the back of the room struggle to understand what is said.
Reverberation
Sound lingers in the room long after it has stopped.
Noise from outside the room
Sound from the corridor or neighbouring rooms disturbs lessons.
Shared spaces
Many people talking in the canteen, after-school room or corridor quickly creates a very loud environment.
Reports from users
Pupils, teachers or staff regularly report difficulties related to noise.
Such observations do not replace a professional assessment of acoustic conditions, but they can be a signal that a closer look is warranted.
Shared spaces during break time.
Observation tool
Eight questions about the situation at your school
A short observation checklist to fill in yourself. Nothing is saved anywhere - only you see the result.
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To see the result, answer all eight questions.
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Your answers do not point to an urgent problem right now. It is still worth confirming this with a measurement from time to time, and discussing noise with your pupils.
The result is indicative only. It is confirmed by data only once noise levels are measured in the building - about the measurement →
What can a school do?
An order of steps that works in most schools. Not every school needs a measurement or acoustic treatment - the scope depends on what the initial review shows.
01
Understand the situation Notice where and when sound genuinely makes work harder.
02
Use the knowledge and materials Publications and materials help name the problem and discuss it as a team.
03
Gather information from users Pupils and teachers point to places that no floor plan reveals.
04
Measure or analyse if needed Data clarifies the picture and makes conversations with the local authority easier.
05
Match the action to the real problem Sometimes an organisational change is enough; sometimes the room itself has to change.
Agreeing next steps with the school team.
Solutions
Depending on the school, the work may involve reviewing conditions, taking measurements, or making changes to specific rooms. The full description is in the Solutions section.
Noise level measurement
Measurement in selected rooms, with the results compiled and interpreted.
Acoustic treatment of classrooms
Changes to rooms where reverberation makes speech hard to understand.
If you would like to ask about the Noise Fighters programme, materials for schools, acoustic conditions or ways of working together - write to the Institute.
