School Acoustics
For focused learning environments

Acoustics in Schools
Good acoustics in classrooms help students stay focused, improve learning outcomes and reduce stress for both students and teachers.
Many areas in schools, such as classrooms, sports halls, and corridors, suffer from excessive noise due to high reverberation, where sound lingers because it isn’t absorbed. Studies show that improving acoustics leads to better learning experiences.
The Benefits of Good School Acoustics
Ensures speech remains intelligible, helping students fully engage with lessons.
Lowers background noise, allowing teachers to be heard clearly and students can focus more effectively.
Creates comfortable spaces supporting both teachers and students.
School buildings must adhere to strict acoustic regulations to ensure optimal learning conditions.


Reducing noise in schools
Excessive reverberation in schools affects both teaching and student engagement. Large, open spaces with hard surfaces reflect sound, creating noisy environments that hinder concentration.
The most effective way to improve acoustics is by installing sound-absorbing materials such as acoustic panels. These solutions absorb excess noise, creating clearer, more comfortable spaces that enhance communication and support learning.
Need expert acoustic advice?
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FREE acoustic services
Our acoustic surveys provide precise analysis of any space — from small meeting rooms to large open-plan environments. Using advanced measurement techniques, our team assesses your acoustic needs and delivers tailored recommendations. Most surveys are completed within 30 minutes to a full day, depending on scale.
Our acoustic design service includes detailed CAD drawings with wall elevation renderings, precise product placements, specifications, and verified performance ratings — all provided with every quotation.
We provide remote acoustic proposals using client drawings and photographs. Each proposal includes accurate product recommendations and detailed quotations for supply and installation, saving time without compromising precision.
We provide complimentary NTI RT60 testing to measure reverberation times and assess acoustic performance before and after treatment. This service ensures precise product specification and demonstrates measurable improvements in clarity and comfort.
We offer complimentary sound masking demonstrations for commercial clients, allowing you to experience the benefits firsthand. Sound masking improves speech privacy, reduces distractions, and enhances workplace productivity.
For projects with complex acoustic requirements, we provide a comprehensive audit package that includes detailed site testing and analysis. This chargeable service is fully credited if Resonics is contracted to deliver the acoustic treatments.

From start to finish we handle everything

Consultation
Our acoustic consultants assess your space on-site (or remotely) and provide a detailed proposal. Every consultation includes acoustic design recommendations, product specifications, and reverberation analysis to ensure measurable improvements.

Assessment
We don’t just identify noise issues — we provide solutions that are cost-effective, design-conscious, and performance-led. Whether reducing echo, improving clarity, or addressing speech privacy, our expert guidance ensures the right acoustic fit for your space.

Design & Planning
Every project includes a tailored acoustic design with a free CAD proposal, showing product placement, specifications, and performance ratings. Our designs can blend seamlessly into interiors or become bold architectural features — always balancing form with function.

Supply & Installation
With over 5,000 projects completed nationwide, our in-house installation teams handle even the most complex acoustic projects. We work to strict health and safety standards, with IPAF-certified specialists, SSSTS/SMSTS-trained supervisors, and all installers CSCS accredited.
FAQs & tips for selecting the right acoustic products
- Think durability: In high-traffic areas, go for stain-resistant, easy-to-clean panels that can handle daily wear.
- Highly absorbent and cost-effective: Choosing highly absorbent panels will help you meet BB93 regulations without blowing the budget.
- Prioritise safety: Make sure all acoustic products meet fire safety standards.
- Use impact-resistant solutions: For sports halls, opt for tough acoustic panels—Super G by Ecophon is a reliable, affordable choice.
These terms are often confused, but they do very different jobs.
- Soundproofing means stopping sound from leaving or entering a room. This requires heavy, dense construction methods such as insulated walls, double glazing, and specialist membranes.
- Sound absorption (acoustic treatment) means reducing echo and improving sound quality inside a room. This is what acoustic panels, baffles and rafts achieve — they don’t block sound, they control it.
If you want privacy between rooms, you need soundproofing, or sound masking. If you want better speech clarity and comfort within a room, you need sound absorption. Often the best acoustic designs use a combination of both, depending on the space and its use.
Almost anywhere. We install acoustic solutions in:
- Offices and boardrooms
- Classrooms and lecture halls
- Restaurants and cafés
- Village halls and community centres
- Recording studios and performance spaces
- Homes and residential developments
- Swimming pools
Any space with hard, reflective surfaces can benefit. We’ve delivered over 5,000 installations across the UK and Europe — proving there’s no environment where good acoustics don’t matter.
The best placement depends on how the room is used:
- Offices/meeting rooms: first reflection points (side walls and ceiling above desks). Ideally on 2 perpendicular walls to reduce flutter echo.
- Restaurants/classrooms: spread evenly across walls and ceilings to avoid “hot spots”. Ideally above 50% of the ceiling area using Class A products.
- Studios: direct reflection points behind and beside speakers/microphones.
Ceilings are often the most effective surface because they are large, open, and unobstructed. Our free CAD proposals include detailed layouts showing the exact recommended panel placement for maximum performance.
The number of panels required depends on the size, shape, and materials in the room, as well as the intended use. A small meeting room might need as few as 6–8 wall panels to one wall, while an open-plan office could require dozens of ceiling baffles or rafts. The aim is to reduce the reverberation time to a comfortable level, not to cover every surface.
Walls: Good practise is to apply panelling from skirting to ceiling to 2no. perpendicular walls to reduce flutter echoes.
Ceilings: In accordance with new BS ISO 22955:2021 guidelines, the ceiling is the most important treatment area, and should feature approximately 50-60% Class A coverage in open plan office spaces.
Resonics provides a free acoustic survey and CAD layout to determine exactly how many panels you need and where they should go. This ensures you invest only in what’s necessary to achieve measurable results.
Prices vary depending on size, material, and finish, but as a very rough guide:
- Wall panels: from £80–£200 each
- Ceiling rafts: from £150–£400 each
- Baffles: from £60–£120 each
Installation costs are additional and depend on project complexity. The best way to get an accurate price is through our free site survey and quotation.
While acoustic treatment is an investment, it quickly pays back in improved productivity, wellbeing, and customer satisfaction. In offices, better acoustics reduce distractions and boost concentration. In restaurants, they improve ambience and encourage repeat visits.
Yes. Acoustic panels are proven to work — they absorb sound energy, reducing echo and controlling reverberation in a room. Without acoustic treatment, sound bounces around hard surfaces such as glass, plaster, concrete, or wood, creating a noisy and tiring environment. Panels are made from sound-absorbent materials that trap and dissipate this energy. The result is speech clarity, calmer background noise levels, and a more productive atmosphere. At Resonics, we only use panels tested in independent acoustic laboratories, ensuring their performance is certified and measurable. With more than 5,000 completed projects across the UK and Europe, we’ve seen first-hand how transformative they can be in offices, schools, restaurants, and community spaces.
Our clients