Dunchurch Boughton Sensory Trail Wall Art
We created a visual sensory trail for Dunchurch Boughton CofE Infant Academy and Nursery.
Dunchurch Boughton welcomes children into their nursery from the age of two and a half. They provide a nurturing and supportive start to pupils’ learning journeys from this young age. As children grow, they move into the school’s reception classes where they remain until the end of year two.
At a young age, children are still learning about their minds and bodies, other children and the wider environment. School can be overwhelming, especially for pupils with special educational needs. And all young pupils need a little help with their regulation from time to time. So the school designated a corridor as a calm, regulation space. The corridor is quiet and sunny – the perfect calm spot.
In the corridor, the teaching team had already added laminated posters to the wall. These included helpful instructions for regulation activities. For example; tracing a visual spiral or physically pushing off the wall. But Headteacher, Suzanne Marson wanted something that was more calming, inclusive and permanent. So, she approached us to create a bespoke and permanent visual sensory trail.
The brief
Helpfully, the school had a clear idea of what they wanted their sensory trail to achieve. They wanted the design to follow the order of;
- Organising (body and thought awareness)
- Alerting (Wake Up Senses)
- Calming (Deep Pressure & Slow Movement)
- Feeling ready to return to class
The senior leadership team at Dunchurch Boughton had an initial consultation with Haylie from Promote Your School. During this consultation they discussed each ‘section’ the design should cover and the sorts of activities that would support students in addressing and completing each stage. After the discussion, they refined their brief and decided on the exact messaging they wanted.
Headteacher Suzanne Marson had a particular idea for the sensory trail heading. She asked for the heading to be written inside the smoke trail of a small stunt plane. We loved this idea and thought it added personality and originality to the design. Our design team happily obliged and the end result is very effective!
Sensory trails for schools
Sensory trails give pupils simple, accessible activities that support self-regulation, calming and refocusing. For some pupils, repetitive actions such as tracing can be soothing, while other activities can encourage controlled breathing, movement or tactile exploration.
They also support fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, concentration and sensory exploration. At the same time, sensory trails make the school environment feel more interactive and inclusive.
A big benefit is that they can be used in different ways and don’t have to be a formal activity. A pupil might interact with one element for a few seconds when they need a moment to regulate, while another might spend longer exploring the different activities. Because we create designs bespoke, we can tailor them to the pupils and the school environment. So the activities are personal and relevant to the needs of the school, rather than being a one-size-fits-all approach.
Our process
Our Midlands Consultant Haylie worked with the school’s clear brief to ensure our design team understood the goals and ‘must-haves’ of the project. We presented the initial artwork back to the school for feedback. They then approved the final artwork once they were 100% happy with the designs.
We were delighted to hear from the Headteacher after installation day. She emailed Haylie to say;
“Hi Haylie, I hope you are ok. The sensory trail has gone up today and looks fab! Do you fancy coming over to have a look at my other school?”
This positive feedback and the opportunity to revisit the school to complete further Wall Art phases was a testament to the success of the project. We’re delighted that the sensory trail has achieved its aims!
