🏫 Darrick Wood Infant & Nursery School – Kitchen Refurbishment

Resolving Workflow Challenges & Enhancing Safety in a Busy School Kitchen

📍 School Overview: An Outstanding Learning Environment

Darrick Wood Infant & Nursery School, a highly regarded ‘Outstanding Academy’, provides education and care for children aged 3 to 7. As part of their commitment to continuous improvement, and in partnership with our client Nourish, we were asked to refurbish their existing kitchen facility to resolve long-standing workflow inefficiencies and bring the space up to current health and safety standards.

⚠️ Project Challenge: Shared Space Causing Workflow Disruption

The kitchen was previously used not just for food preparation but also as a storage area for fold-up dining chairs, leading to congestion and inefficient working conditions.

Our solution involved a reconfiguration of the space to separate kitchen operations from chair storage, improving both safety and workflow.

🛠 Our Solution: Reconfiguration, Compliance & Finishing Touches

1. Dedicated Chair Storage Creation

• Removed underused sink units to free up space

• Constructed a walled-off chair storage area, accessible from the dining room

• Fully separated from the kitchen to eliminate cross-traffic and workflow interference

2. Hygienic & Safe Surfaces

• Installed Bioclad uPVC hygienic wall cladding throughout the kitchen

• Laid Altro Stronghold 30 slip-resistant vinyl flooring for improved safety and ease of cleaning

• Created a second wall behind the cookline, finished with stainless steel cladding to meet modern gas safety standards

3. Appliance Upgrade & Utility Works

• Supplied and installed new commercial cooking appliances

• Completed a full package of gas, plumbing, and electrical works, including bringing all systems up to current safety and regulatory standards

4. Improved Servery Setup

• Removed the outdated wooden servery counter

• Built a new low-level wall, allowing the school to position existing bain-marie and mobile servery units against it for a cleaner, more practical layout

5. Extended Flooring Upgrades

• Installed Altro flooring in three storerooms and a staff area, ensuring consistent safety and hygiene throughout all food-related spaces

🧩 Results: A Smaller Kitchen with Bigger Impact

Although the project involved reallocating nearly 20 sq m of kitchen space for the new chair store, the refurbished kitchen feels more spacious, thanks to the improved layout and streamlined workflow.

✅ Services Delivered

• Kitchen redesign and reconfiguration

• Bioclad wall cladding and Altro slip-resistant flooring

• Construction of dedicated chair store

• Stainless steel cladding for gas safety compliance

• New commercial appliances supplied and installed

• Full gas, plumbing, and electrical works

• New low-level servery wall and layout

• Flooring upgrades across ancillary areas

🎉 Outcome: Safer, Cleaner, Smarter

The Darrick Wood kitchen refurbishment demonstrates how intelligent layout changes and the right materials can transform a small space into a highly functional and compliant working kitchen.

“We’re proud to have delivered a kitchen that meets modern standards while improving daily operations for staff—and ensuring a better mealtime experience for pupils.”

📩 Need help improving your school’s kitchen efficiency and safety? Contact our team to discuss how we can deliver practical, long-lasting solutions tailored to your needs.