St Helens School
At St Helens School in Northwood, a Covair seasonal air dome has transformed how students experience winter. What began as an enquiry about covering outdoor tennis courts has become an integral part of school life, providing sheltered space for sport and recreation throughout the colder months.
The project also demonstrates how schools can navigate planning requirements cost-effectively and create sustainable funding models through community partnerships.
Background
Like many schools, St Helens wanted to maximise the use of their outdoor facilities year-round, but the British winter meant courts stood empty for months at a time. The school needed a solution that would provide winter coverage whilst preserving the outdoor experience during summer months.
Challenge
In July 2013, St Helens School contacted Covair enquiring about the viability of covering three outdoor tennis courts with a seasonal air dome. The school had two objectives: enabling winter play on the courts and providing children with a gathering place during their breaks.
Solution
Following a site visit, Covair designed a single skin dome for the three courts along with a steel shed for dome storage during the summer months. This seasonal approach meant the school could enjoy covered courts in winter and open-air play in summer.
Adams Planning & Development Ltd managed to achieve an appropriate planning fee for a temporary structure, which saved the school significantly on planning costs. This is an important consideration for schools exploring seasonal dome solutions.
To help fund the purchase of the dome, the school partnered with a local tennis club who could use the dome for tennis in the evenings and at weekends. This partnership model spread the costs whilst building connections between the school and the wider community.
Allowing for the bespoke design, planning application, and fund organising, the project took around 15 months from conception to completion.
Results
Transformed break times
The dome is now an integral part of school life. Break times have become a lot more enjoyable for the children, who are now able to spend more time in an outdoor environment regardless of the weather.
Multi-sport flexibility
The covered space creates a usable area for tennis, netball, and general recreation time during winter, supporting both curriculum delivery and student wellbeing.
Practical summer storage
The steel shed solution for summer storage means the dome can be efficiently stored on-site when not in use, ready for quick reinstallation each autumn.
Community partnership
The partnership with the local tennis club created a sustainable funding model, with evening and weekend use helping to offset costs whilst strengthening ties between the school and the local community.
Summing Up
The St Helens School project demonstrates how seasonal air domes can serve educational settings effectively. By combining a single skin dome with on-site storage, partnering with a local tennis club for shared funding, and working with planning specialists to achieve appropriate fees, the school created a solution that delivers year-round value.
For schools considering similar projects, St Helens offers a blueprint: a seasonal approach that preserves summer outdoor play, community partnerships that share costs, and specialist planning support that can significantly reduce fees for temporary structures.
