Parkfields Middle School, Bedfordshire

Type of works: Installation of i-ceilings improve communication in school.

Parkfields Middle School has recently opened its newly built science laboratories, supported by significant public and private funding. Embracing many new technologies to provide the best possible facilities for students, both labs now feature interactive whiteboards linked to laptops supported by sound reinforcement, overhead pan/tilt/zoom cameras for projecting text books and students work and remote control blackout blinds.

When a teacher needs to address a group of students spread out over a large room area, voice strain, fatigue and stress may occur whilst intelligibility levels may prove insufficient for speech to be properly understood. In laboratories, where background noise levels can be quite challenging (open windows, air-conditioning, voices etc), this situation may result in teacher absenteeism and lower pass grades for students.

Communication with students is enhanced with the addition of Armstrong's i-ceilings sound-field voice reinforcement, allowing the teacher to roam throughout the labs whilst still benefiting from enhanced voice levels, yet remaining wire-free. The use of infrared wireless microphones also allows the systems to be used simultaneously without multiple signal interference.