Hampton Infant School Early Years Corridor Wall Art
We transformed the Early Years Corridor at Hampton Infant School.
The motto at Hampton Infant School is ‘Best the best you can be’. And pupils learn best when their environment is positive, stimulating and tailored to learning.
So, the school invested in a rainforest inspired Wall Art design to create an uplifting corridor for their youngest pupils. The Early Years Corridor is a space where pupils can hang their coats, use the bathroom and get in the right mindset for learning. So it’s an important area for pupils to start the day. There’s lots of wall space available, which made it ideal for Wall Art.
We created a half height design for the top half of the walls. A rainforest backdrop brings the area to life, offering visual interest and dynamism to the space. Pupils can explore the rainforest and discover animals, plants and waterfalls.
Positive learing environment
Research shows that a learning environment — including the physical setting — directly influences learners’ motivation, creativity, and wellbeing. Environmental factors such as space, materials, and ambience all play a role too. (Dr William Lockett)
The rainforest design has totally transformed the space. It offers the perfect balance of visual stimulation; lots of interest without being overwhelming. Pupils can escape their ordinary everyday environment and enter a magical world of wonder.
They can use their sense to explore the space, engaging with the natural world around them. This sensory-friendly design is perfect for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and behavioural challenges. It creates a calm and uplifting environment where the benefits of nature have been brought indoors.
Early Years corridor
The school were keen to create a calm and joyful space that would appeal to existing pupils and prospective families. They wanted the area to feel like a home-from-home. It should showcase the school’s values visually, so Early Years pupils can understand and relate to them.
Sweet animals and a nature backdrop create a warm welcome to little learners, immediately putting them at ease. Pupils can then wander through the rainforest design, exploring and discovering as they walk alongside the walls.
It was equally important for the Early Years corridor to appeal to adults; prospective parents and potential teachers at the school. The area is a real standout feature for the school, making it an appealing prospect to anyone consider joining. And, with birth rates falling and the challenges of teacher recruitment rising, making a school first choice has never been more important. This uplifting design shows that Hampton Infant School is a positive and welcoming place.
Wonder and wellbeing
Spending time in nature is proven to benefit wellbeing. So, this stunning rainforest design brings the benefits of outdoors in.
When creating their design brief, the team at Hampton Infant School were clear in their goals and preferences. They wanted the design to feel calm, without being distracting for students.
We encouraged the team to look at other case studies we’d completed for inspiration. They liked some of our outdoor Wall Art projects that used nature as a backdrop. So we took inspiration from these, but created an entirely new and bespoke design for this project.
Visual design
Every child experiences their surroundings differently. Some are quickly overwhelmed by bright colours, busy patterns, or crowded displays. Others need stimulation, movement, and rich visual cues to stay engaged.
Research on learning environments shows that cluttered or overly intense visuals can disrupt focus. Yet, organised and intentional visuals improve motivation, memory, and conceptual understanding (Barrett et al., 2015; Brink et al., 2020). The key is not to eliminate visual stimulation, but to apply the right amount of stimulation to the right space.
Nurture bases, wellbeing rooms, or quiet corridors, low-stimulation visuals are powerful in sensory-supportive areas. Soft palettes, gentle patterns, and simple shapes help pupils regulate their emotions and settle their nervous systems (Ogita & Pothong, 2021).
So, Wall Art becomes a tool for grounding and comfort, helping children who are overstimulated reset before returning to learning.
Wall Art for schools
Wall Art is uniquely suited to shaping these shifts. It’s adaptable, affordable, and capable of transforming a space instantly without structural change.
Designing different spaces for different needs is not about choosing between calm and colourful. It’s about using visual design intelligently across the school to support learning, behaviour, and wellbeing. A well-designed visual environment meets pupils where they are, energising them, soothing them, guiding them, and inspiring them throughout the day (Barrett et al., 2015; Terblanche & Khumalo, 2024).
At Promote Your School, we have over twenty years’ experience in education and design. So we understand how to design with intention and purpose to help you achieve your unique aims as a school.
Get in touch to find out more, and to book a free consultation.
