‘The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price’ is a proverb that should hang on all headteachers’ office walls, so when choosing school furniture, consider:
Value for Money: cheapest is not always best.
Strength and stability of the furniture: buy furniture which has been manufactured to the EN1729 standard Ergonomics: the wrong choice of chair could result in back pain. The height of a chair should relate to the height of a table.
Co-ordinating furniture: choose furniture designed to co-ordinate with other items not just about ‘the look’, i.e. storage units might all contain the same size trays.
Creative use of furniture: can furniture be used as space dividers or work areas?
Multi-functional furniture: specialised furniture can have limited use and therefore tie up floor space.
Maintenance: are there components which would be difficult or expensive to repair or replace?
A range of furniture: spaces can be interchangeable and flexible in their use of furniture.
