Faifley Community Campus

Because the Faifley campus is defined by its open learning zones rather than traditional classroom layouts, FF&E had to be versatile, practical and in many cases, dual-use.

We incorporated the following in each of the learning zones:
- Campfire areas where a whole class can gather for instruction.
- Breakout spaces with soft seating, tiered seating and acoustic furniture.
- Bespoke built-in walls and recesses designed around teaching screens.
- Movable partitions enabling staff to open or close off parts of the zone.
- A wide mix of seating types, from standard tables to beanbags to support different learning styles.

Mike says, “We joked that the scheme offers 100 ways to sit as there are so many different types of seating, different places you can go, etc.”

Designing for movement
A key objective was to introduce physical movement into the school day, as studies show that even small bursts of activity can improve focus and academic performance. One of our ideas was to include a climbing wall and slide as an alternative to stairs, for movement between floors. This has been a huge hit with the pupils!

A calm, nature-inspired aesthetic
The interiors feature a palette of greens, neutrals, timber textures and soft upholstery, chosen to create calm, restorative spaces, which is particularly important given that two-thirds of mainstream pupils have additional support needs. Furniture placement was carefully considered to avoid encouraging unwanted climbing or unsafe behaviours.

The Early Learning Centre
The ELCC is the largest nursery Pinnacle has ever worked on, covering just under 600sqm across multiple rooms for ages 0–2, 2–3 and 3–5. In each of them, we fitted out:
- Zoned areas for messy play, quiet activities, reading and group work.
- Bespoke nooks and dens with sensory lighting.
- Fully flexible partitions and storage.
- Robust, wipeable finishes suitable for heavy daily use.

Community facilities
As the campus is designed as a building for the entire community, it needed to have a grown-up feel, particularly in spaces shared with and used by the public.

The shared library space presented a challenge - how do we provide a peaceful environment for adults, while also accommodating children who rarely speak in a library whisper? Our answer was a dedicated archway, incorporating a crawl-through entrance for the younger pupils who would then be housed in their own section.

We also fitted meeting rooms and spaces used by health, social care and advice services and a welcoming cafe-style entrance with soft seating and work tables.

Challenges
The biggest challenge was the sheer scale of the building and the complexity of coordinating multiple age groups, community services and shared school wings. We also had to position furniture carefully to avoid creating climbing hazards for pupils with sensory or behavioural needs.

Despite these complexities, handover was achieved in time for pupils to move in during Autumn 2024.

Collaboration and client relationship
This was a collaborative project, and we worked closely with:
- Holmes Miller (architect)
- Morrison Construction (main contractor)
- West Dunbartonshire Council (client)

Early involvement allowed the FF&E strategy to evolve alongside the building’s architecture. Our input helped refine wall positions, layout details and teaching spaces, ensuring the furniture and the building worked seamlessly together.