Urmston Grammar School

The Vision

Urmston Grammar School in Manchester has a national reputation for academic excellence.

However, their original washrooms hadn’t been updated since the Boys and Girls Schools merged in the early 1990s – and were visibly in disrepair and unwelcoming to their 11–18-year-old students, and not reflective of their exceptional facilities and standards.

And like any school, Urmston Grammar was no stranger to anti-social behaviour in the washroom. So they needed a specialist partner to conceptualise and deliver a hard-wearing, sleek fit-out solution that made students of all ages feel right at home.

The Solution

From the initial consultation and installation to handover and support, we gave Urmston Grammar’s Headteacher and Finance Manager our expert guidance on layouts and products for four toilet blocks (two male and two female) across two floors.

We created a striking centrepiece in each washroom by installing solid-surface wash troughs on top of stylish base units. Unlike traditional washbasins, these modern, multi-user sinks are harder to deface, accommodate a larger footfall of students, and feature removable access panels for ease of maintenance.

In the girls’ toilet block, we framed the wash troughs with false wall pillars – creating the impression that the sinks are inset into the wall, hiding the services to the hand dryers, and enhancing the design of these feature hand-washing areas.

The Result

The result was a contemporary, welcoming washroom experience. Not only did we reduce instances of anti-social behaviour, we elevated their aesthetics, increased student footfall, and gave Urmston Grammar School washrooms they could finally be proud of.