What to look for in the perfect student chair

Students spend a lot of time sitting down. Aside from lunch breaks and the occasional project where they move around a classroom, much of their time will be spent sitting in a school chair. For developing bodies, it’s important that educators invest in good quality seating equipment to prevent potential future health and physical complications. So, what should you be looking for in a student chair?
1) Soft or hard plastic?
Student chairs are generally made of plastic, but within this there’s a lot of variety, and the softness of the plastic is absolutely something that you should consider. Soft plastic chairs are more comfortable, and over the course of a long school day this can play into your student’s attention spans, but they are also less durable, which means that over the long term, replacement costs will be far more significant than buying hard plastic chairs.
2) Look for chairs built for durability
Regardless of whether you go with soft or hard plastic, make sure the student chairs are built with durability in mind. Features that you should keep an eye out for include:
– Back supports. Chairs should have steel supports that run all the way up the back. Children tend to lean back in their chairs, and those back supports are critical in supporting their weight.
– Steel supports. Make sure you get chairs that have a minimum of 16 gauge steel.
– Underseat brackets. These will help support the weight of the student through the long school days.
3) Make sure the back of the seats have ventilation
Without ventilation at the back of a seat, the student’s back will overheat. This will cause discomfort, a loss of concentration, tiredness and poor performance.
4) Which legs should I go with?
In a choice between wheeled and standard legged chairs, it’s safer to go with standard legged chairs, unless your students have reached an age where they can be responsible in their use. Wheeled chairs can be convenient for older students in allowing them to move around the room, but this can also introduce safety hazards. If you go with standard chairs, make sure the legs have caps to protect the flooring from scratches from having the chairs pushed across them.

Getting the right chairs for your students can significantly improve outcomes. For more information, or to further discuss your options, contact the Abax Kingfisher team. We have a truly wide range of options in student chairs, designed to help your kids achieve the very best learning outcomes.