school furniture home

welcome to the school furniture website

This site sets out the dimensions of the UK School Population (3-18) through a series of charts. Information is given on how British and European standards for chairs and tables relate to these dimensions.

Size information is also given for common classroom furniture not covered by British or European standards such as shelves and benches.

The site is the result of a partnership between the UK Department for Education and Skills, Counties Furniture Group and the Furniture Industry Research Association.

How high should a shelf be? What is the best seat height for a seven year old? If I am purchasing furniture for year 6 children, what size chairs and tables do I need? Have children got bigger over the last decade? This site aims to answer these and other questions frequently asked by teachers and building professionals.

The site will guide you through the decisions necessary to achieve the best fit in buying furniture for different age ranges. It has the most up to date sizes using data from the 2001 UK survey of school children and references sizes to UK and European standards. The background to the survey can be viewed by clicking the data sources icon in the top menu or through links on pages throughout the site.

The site has been developed by:

• Department for Education and Skills
– the DfES is fully committed to improving the school environment. As part of this commitment the Department has been working with [cfg™] and FIRA to develop this web based resource which will allow teachers and building professionals to choose the most appropriately sized furniture for their particular requirements.

• Counties Furniture Group
– a UK local authority furniture design company.

• Furniture Industries Research Association
– an international furniture trade organisation.

Information on the role of these organisations can also be downloaded by clicking the logos on the right of any page.

glossary