Cancer experts, the NHS and local authorities are all quite clear that outdoor learning and play between 11am and 3pm from May to September should only be conducted in the shade – something that is currently completely lacking in most school playgrounds. Education sector designers are increasingly specifying weatherproof shade sails and waterproof tension structures to provide the twin requirements of outdoor UV protection and covered space that allow young people to have a safe environment in which to learn and play. Architects and headteachers have identified – sometimes only after experiencing problems – the need for structures to be robust, flexible and able to cope with our famously ever-changing weather.
As the leading provider of high quality UV protection and shelter for outdoor environments across the education sector, Keep It Kool is championing the fight against childhood exposure to UV – the cause behind most of the 86,400* new cases of skin cancer each year. Only high quality UV shading allows children freedom of movement in an outdoor environment. Ordinary shades, awnings and blinds cut down visible light, but most don’t even have a UV rating. Keep It Kool shade sails filter out between 92-100 percent of UV radiation depending on the material chosen.
Keep It Kool adheres to CABE, BSF and PfS requirements and is a member of BESA.
* Courtesy of Cancer Research UK
