24 Jan Mandeville Primary School

Mandeville Primary School in in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire recently completed a project to enhance the hearing accessibility in their newly constructed sports hall. Committed to inclusivity, the school partnered with Contacta to ensure crystal clear audio for all, regardless of hearing loss.

Seamless Planning and Implementation:

Our team surveyed the hall, and planned a layout for a hearing loop system that could be fitted under the floor covering. This allowed a permanent access to sounds the school wanted hearing aid users to hear. Our team carried out the planning, specification, and installation from start to finish.

A layer of liquid PVC/latex had already been laid on the floor, providing a smooth surface for fixing hearing loop flat copper tape. The copper tape was then covered with “Do Not Cut” warning tape, adding a layer of protection. A damp-proof membrane sheet was placed on top of the loop tapes, followed by a timber frame and a wooden floor.

A phased-array layout was planned by the Contacta team and carried out in the field, ensuring even distribution of the sound across the hall. The hearing loop system was then connected to a Contacta V22a PRO, a dual output loop driver. This driver delivered sufficient power for the size of the loop in the hall and is one of the most efficient to keep running costs low.

This loop driver excels in extends to speech and music sound reproduction, delivering an improved audio experience for users. This was ideal for Mandeville Primary School’s due to the various types of events hosted in the hall, and the varied types of sound sources these entail. .

Contacta’s engineers integrated a wireless Lapel Microphone for use by speakers in the hall, with full integration with the hearing loop. Other sound sources could be connected to the V22-PRO inputs, in parallel to this microphone.