World class Taraflex® sports flooring for Becket Keys School

Sports and games played in a school environment encompasses more than just the benefit of physical activity. Pupils can experience increases in self-esteem and mental alertness this makes school sports and games a benefit for every school age child. Games and sports are now days an integral part of a student’s life. The importance of play or sports for children has become even more relevant thus schools have a prominent part to “play” in this process.

Becket Keys Church of England School is a free school established in Brentwood, Essex in 2012. It was the first Church of England secondary school to be established as part of the free schools’ programme.Their aim is a simple one- to provide a high-quality education in a caring, Christian environment in which each student is known, valued and encouraged to achieve his/her best individual potential. In addition to addressing the academic and spiritual needs of the students, their overall fitness and well-being would also be catered for by providing a state-of-the-art sports hall where a variety of activities could be enjoyed. It’s an area where international flooring specialist Gerflor made a positive difference by supplying some 680m2 of their outstanding high performance Taraflex^® sports flooring in ‘Oak’ for the planned refurbishment of the new sports hall.

Nina Chapman, Finance and Contract Manager, Becket Keys Church of England School said, “the flooring was chosen by the architects. The addition of our logo provides a professional touch and we are delighted with it”.

The need to appoint an Architect who had the experience and talents to deliver a top-quality design and finish would be paramount. At Colchester- based Ingleton Wood Architects their commissions range from large-scale new build and refurbishment projects to smaller value design and construction work. As a Practice their goal is to add value at every stage of development, from initial survey and concept planning through to the design, engineering and fit-out of interior spaces.

Charlie Holmes, Chartered Building Surveyor from Ingleton Wood said, “Becket Keys Church of England School had an existing sports hall which was coming to the end of its life span. Ingleton Wood LLP helped Becket Keys Church of England School to apply for funding through the Condition Improvement Fund for Academies”. He went on to add, “we had used Gerflor flooring for a previous scheme and were very happy with the quality of their products”. Charlie Holmes also commented, “The flooring looks brilliant, and our local area Gerflor representative helped the school complete a design which incorporated the school’s logo in silver”.

Mr Scott-Evans, Headteacher at Becket Keys Church of England School said, “sport is incredibly important to us here at Becket Keys and we only want to see our students using the best equipment and flooring. Gerflor were recommended to us by our architects and they have delivered on everything that we hoped for. We knew what we were looking for and Gerflor worked hard to try and meet our specific requirements. Our students are excited about using our new sports hall and are rightly proud to have access to such professional facilities”.

Gerflor have more than 70 years of experience with their Taraflex^® sports flooring. It offers a wide range of colours and is suitable for a variety of applications. Taraflex® sports floors have been made since 1947 and used by the largest international sports federations (volleyball, handball, badminton, table tennis) for decades. Through partnerships with these federations, Gerflor has been present at the Summer Olympic Games since 1976. It’s an Olympic pedigree stretching back over an incredible 42 years.

Taraflex^® is available in 17 colours and three wood-effect designs. The Performance product offers a P2 category shock absorbency 35% to 45%. Taraflex^® is recognised for providing durability, safety and comfort without impairing performance. The range also offers greater than 45% force reduction, making it unrivalled in the marketplace in terms of offering comfort for users. Taraflex^® meets the EN Standard of 22196 for anti- bacterial activity (E. coli - S. aureus - MRSA) (3) returning >99% levels of growth inhibition. The product is also treated with Protecsol ^®, which renders polish redundant and is triple action meaning no polish is ever required, it contributes to easy maintenance and is antifriction burn and slide/grip. Taraflex^® has a double density foam backing and with another bonus, it’s environmentally friendly. Taraflex^® Performance from Gerflor also meets the EN 14904 Standard for indoor sports surfaces. It is also ideal for renovation works and is available with the Dry-Tex^™ System perfect for new construction or refurbishment projects with damp subfloors.

Charlie Holmes from Ingleton Wood concluded by commenting, “we would definitely use Gerflor’s Taraflex ^® sports flooring again as it looks great and their area representative was very helpful throughout the design and construction process”.

Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01926 622 600, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.