Shipping Containers for Schools
Shipping Containers for Schools, Colleges and Universities
On the face of it, you wouldn’t associate big industrial shipping containers with your local school, academy, college or university. With shipping containers offering large volumes of secure and cost effective storage space, we’re finding shipping containers for schools are becoming more and more popular
With bundles of kit that may be in use only seasonally (Exam tables, chairs and sports equipment are common examples) and constant pressures on available space – shipping containers offer a quick, practical, secure storage solution for many schools and colleges. It may offer the chance to clear our under-utilised rooms and spaces in your buildings that could be put to better use, it may help you better use the space you have available at your facility.
Quick and easy to install
Shipping containers come ready built, and we have fleets of trucks with cranes on that can lift containers off and leave them on your site. The trucks do need to run over hard standing ground at all times. Quite commonly in summer months we will often complete deliveries that involve crossing a playing field or similar. If your planning a delivery over grass or into a difficult to access spot please flag this up with us well in advance,
As shipping containers do not have or need foundations they are classed as a temporary structure and should be exempt from the need for planning permission. As there is a wide variety of local circumstances and conditions (as well as Councillors) we can’t offer a 100% cast iron guarantee, for this reason we always suggest to check with your local planning office in advance if you have any concerns.
Usually we can accommodate out of hours deliveries meaning the containers can be installed when the site is empty and clear, but we have at times arranged for a delivery during the school day if the kids would like a quick science lesson about cranes, trucks and shipping containers!
Will shipping containers look ugly?
A set of new or refurbished shipping containers can look very smart. Take a look at this picture from a recent work at Stratford-Upon-Avon school. A line of our new high spec 20ft shipping containers have been recently installed to replace some very tatty and leaking circa 30 year old shipping containers on site.
With fantastic modern facilities at Stratford School these containers fit in well with the smart, modern site. Its given the school some very cost effective long term storage options for their exam tables as well as seasonal sport equipment. These new green high spec 20ft shipping containers should remain smart with minimal maintenance for a generation or so if needed, or with a quick phone call any time in the next 15+ years, we can make an offer to buy them back if they are no longer needed.
If your storage containers would likely be on display and keeping your site clean and smart is important for you, we would recommend looking at our refurbished or new (one trip) ranges. Both these ranges are a lot smarter than a typical, rusty, used shipping container and much better suited to a modern professional setup. New units can usually have hire purchase or operating lease arrangements in place for any publicly funded body or limited company and they can often offer exceptional long term value if you planned to have this in place for 10 or more years.
Based on an expected 20 year lifespan, one of our highest spec 20ft containers will commonly work out costing you around £2 + VAT per week all inclusive. (example only, rates with vary with the shipping container commodity price which is closely linked to the available supply, the steel prices and the US$ conversion rate. Delivery costs also vary depending on the distance to travel to you from our depot)
Our kids are pretty inventive, just how secure is a shipping container?
Not an uncommon questions for us. If the container is fitted with a lock box (padlock cover) and a high security padlock in place, then it will take some form of heavy cutting equipment to break into a shipping container. Our padlocks are specifically anti-pick and amongst the most secure lock on the market. Top date we’re yet to hear of one of our high security padlocks getting picked, drilled or otherwise broken, we have heard of this happening with cheaper ranges.
Whist nothing is 100% secure, the fact is that many of these containers are in use already as secure storage units across a plethora of locations and sites worldwide. The vast majority of customers have a positive experience and don’t have their containers broken into. You should be able to insure your goods with a lock box and padlock in place on your shipping container.
We’re going to stop short of advising the best way to break into a shipping container in-case this became a ‘how to’ guide, but it will be well beyond the scope of your average chancer to break into a properly secured shipping container. The majority of container break ins we see evidence of have clearly been pre-planned.
In our experience for it to be worthwhile someone bringing heavy cutting gear, and presumably a power supply to your container to break in, they will want to already know there are high value goods inside that they can utilise.
Will a shipping container work for our school?
Overall, shipping containers offer superb value, they shouldn’t require planning permission, they are super secure and we can often supply and deliver these within a few working days.
Budgetshippingcontainers.co.uk offer the UK’s largest online range of shipping containers for sale with a nationwide network of storage and conversion yards and crane equipped delivery vehicles.
If you need a shipping container feel free to browse our online range of shipping containers for sale. You can also call us on freephone 0808 1234 215 any time 9am – 5pm weekdays and our team will be happy to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, you can use our online shipping container quote form or request a telephone callback. In both cases we aim to get back to you within 1-2 working hours (may take longer for more detailed quotes).