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My primary school is about to have two smartboard 600is installed by RM in two brand new classrooms, however we need to find out the optimum height these boards should be so that the pupils can reach them. All of our current IWBs are too high for the pupils. RM are not sure and we've got the electrics and dado being installed later this week. I need to give the builders the high for this dado asap as the IWB will be installed above it. Can anyone help? Thanks
With schools there is a big age range so the requirement will be different depending on the age of kids.
I found the best solution was to get some average high kids and stand them up against the wall and measure.
We feel its horses for courses. We have installed a whiteboard that actually sat on the floor as the Nursery teacher wanted the kids to have full access. It made it very difficult for her to use but she thought that the advantages out weighed the problems. Having said that, we have lowered existing installations to suite and raised them for others. Have you asked the staff what they would like? In lower KS1, I would think a bottom height of 40cm would be about right as it gives a good balance of usabillity for the kids and visibillity for the class.
Hello all BTW :)
As said previously, kids come in varying sizes. We have Y5 kids who are 5'6" and others can't reach the door handles! It's good exercise when they have to keep jumping to reach the top of the board. :) We've just had a Smartboard put in the Y5ICT suite, I'll measure that next time I'm over there.
Its a Primary school, Reception, Y1 and Y2 kids only. The reason I ask is that I'm sure that there is a legal minimum height that a dado containing power sockets can be. The IWB comes with a short-throw projector so I'm trying to balance getting the IWB low enough for the kids but high enough so that the projector is clear of the teachers head!
I think you can buy rails to fit on the wall that will let you adjust the height.
We are a MLD school and find our pupils range in size from very small to very tall. Therefore we install the IWB at a standard height and have some of the SMART Steps in some of our classrooms.
See Here
Thanks to all for comments, looks like the 'step' is the best way to go. Just got to get the best price now...
Don't rule out the option of the HAWM (Height Adjustable Wall Mount) if your walls can take the weight and you've got around £400 extra to spend on the board.
It solves the problem in our book, and means you just don't don't need that famous safety hazard - the step!
If you can afford it there are a number of height adjustable wall mounts around so you can adjust the height to the pupik
Its a bit strange that RM are installing the boards and don't know the recommended height.
We are a Secondary school with Promethean boards and generally install to 900mm as a rule.
I don't think it really matters what height it is set at as long as the whole class can see the board from the furthest point they will be sitting in the class.
Loxit do a good selection of mounts for SMART Boards, - including a variable height one with a boom arm that's also mobile (which is something I don't think SMART themselves offer at the moment).
Stephen
RM recommended height adjustable, whereas we where after the legal minimum height, but there doesnt seem to be one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylv3r
The height does matter as the pupils need to reach the IWB as we use software that requires their intervention on the IWB. Its rather more than just seeing the IWB.
Surely that's not a Primary School - that's an Infant School? Primary School covers Infant (recep to year 2) and Junior (Year 3 to Year 6)Quote:
Originally Posted by bertster
In the First School I used to work in, the board's bottom edge was about 30cm off the floor.
The teachers didn't like the steps as they felt that the littlest children couldn' balance and concentrate on what they were doing on the board as well.
Definitely go with the height-adjustable ones - £400 well spent. What you need to remember is that it is not just the children who need to use the board, but the staff as well - so, unless your class teachers are also only 3ft tall, get the height-adjustable ones. Having bought a couple of these in our Primary and seen them in use compared to static ones, I wouldn't now consider anything else for a Primary install (insert disclaimer that this is my personal opinion and is not critical of those people who choose static ones!).
There are no legal height restrictions, however do remember that the height-adjustable boards can only be moved by around 60cm (I think), so you should also factor in how high you might need it to go as well as how low.