Why your school should have an Ofsted Banner

Printed PVC banners from Loud & Clear Graphics are a cost effective way to promote your Ofsted rating.

Banners can draw attention to the successes of your school, inform and inspire parents and children and engage the surrounding community. A school’s Ofsted rating is the main indicator of how the wider community rate it’s overall standard. A well-designed and customised school banner can be very memorable and one of the most effective promotional tactics a school can employ. When displayed in an optimal location, our Ofsted banners will reach out to whoever you want to target. eg. parents searching for the best school for their children. These creatively-designed banners will not only allow you to show off the school’s Ofsted achievement but also cultivate a feeling of pride within the school!

In effect, our eye-catching Ofsted banners will serve as a visual reminder of why your school is regarded so highly .

Why buy an Ofsted banner?

They are cost effective.  Banners can be placed at all school entrances.
They are a very effective form of promoting your school’s achievements.
Installation is easy. Banners can be fitted to almost any vertical surface – making it possible to place them in the most prominent positions.

Why choose Loud & Clear Graphics?

We offer a wide range of design templates. All designs can be customised with your logo, school colours, fonts and often photographs can be added.
You have the option to supply your own artwork.
We use the best possible materials to ensure quality and durability.
We offer a choice of three standard sizes. Please contact us if you would like your banner in another size as we can produce them in any size.
Multiple purchases are discounted.
We offer a fast turnaround. We typically sent out our banners within a day or two of the order.

Our banners can be purchased online.  You can request a proof of your customised banner and we can make alterations if necessary. We will not proceed until you are happy with the design and have given us confirmation.
We can also offer all schools 30 day credit terms on request.

Our top 5 best selling Ofsted banners are:

We  have a large range of  banner templates for many other school events such as:
Open days
Summer Fairs
Christmas Fairs
Book Fairs
Exam achievements
Parking / Road safety
No Smoking at school gates
School leavers

If you have an upcoming event which we don’t have a template for, let us know and we can design it for you.

Installing your PVC banner

Installing your PVC banner correctly will minimise movement and prevent tearing. It is important that the banner is taut and flat and the graphic is smooth and looks professional.

PVC is a great outdoor material, hard wearing and flexible and able to withstand wind, rain and damaging UV rays. We use a strong, tear resistant 500gsm PVC material and our solvent based inks are carefully chosen for durability. Despite the strong banner material, your banner will still last longest when hung correctly. Follow our recommendations below on how best to hang your new PVC Banner.

(Please note our short term celebration banners are made using a thinner and less durable banner material)

 

Installing your PVC banner with Zip Ties 

Due to their strength and affordability, cable / zip ties are the preferred method for installing your banner when mounting against a fence. In addition, zip ties are the easiest way to securely attach your outdoor vinyl banner to a chain-link fence or metal posts. We place eyelets around all four sides of your banner, and calculate the number of eyelets based on the size of your banner.

Simple Banner Installation Tips:

If possible, choose a calm weather day to install your banner. When windy or rainy, we humans tend to rush the job resulting in either the banner being too loosely fitted or too taut.

If the banner is fitted loosely or sloppily, this will allow the banner to move in the wind – making the banner flap and rub against the fence. Not only will this add stress to the grommets, but the rubbing will wear out the banner material. If the banner is stretched too hard to the side, it may pull away from the pinched seal of the grommet and tear.

Over tightened zip ties will pull too hard on the weakest part of the banner, the eyelets / grommets.

Both options will shorten the banner’s life.

Always start by connecting the banner on an upper corner and follow with the coinciding bottom corner. Then continue attaching along the length of the banner by fastening the next nearest top grommet following with the bottom grommet – slowly working your way along the length of the banner. Banners are often hung by the top corners first, which leads to sagging areas in the middle. This will require alterations to make the banner taut, creating a professional, smooth graphic.

When first connecting a banner with a zip tie, only tighten enough to hold the banner in place while you move on to the next grommet. Once all the zip ties are in place, go back to each zip tie and tighten each one.  This will ensure a solid, uniform fit throughout the span of the banner. The key is to distribute the stress across multiple points, limiting the whipping action that can happen when the wind starts blowing.

Installing your PVC Banners with Bungee Cord / Bungee Ties

If you are planning to hang your PVC banner in wind exposed location, bungee ties are a preferred alternative to cable ties. These will allow the banner to move, taking the stress out of the grommets and preventing the banner from tearing.

If you intend to ‘string up’ your banner we recommend bungee cord. Again, it is important to secure all of the eyelets.  You can either cut the rope into short pieces and tie into place or weave it in and out the eyelets and pull the rope tight. The movement in the elastic cord will allow the banner to move and prevent tearing.

It is recommended that larger banners exposed to strong winds are made using a 340gsm PVC mesh banner material.  This material is 25% open and allows air to pass through creating less stress on the banner.

 

Installation your PVC banner to a Wall

Hanging your banner to a wall will give it wind protection, height and longevity.

With a solid structure behind the banner, and well-secured attachment points, your banner will look as robust as the wall you fix into.  You will need to drill and plug the wall and use over-sized washers to ensure the screws won’t pull through the eyelets.

 

Wall mounted banner frames

Frame systems are supplied complete with the printed banner and have an easy push fit assembly. Looped bungee ties are used to secure the banner and are included.

Our Wall mounted banner frames are available in two sizes –  2m x 1m / 3m x 1.25m

 

Installing your PVC banner to a Free-standing Heavy Duty Banner frame

Constructed from a 35mm diameter steel tube, these banner frames are extremely durable and suited to long-term outdoor use.

Supplied complete with the printed banners and are available as single or double sided displays. Bungee cable ties secure the banner to the frame and are included.

Our Free-standing heavy duty banner frames are available as both single or double sided. There are three sizes options – 3m x 1m / 4.5m x 1m / 6m x 1m

 

Please contact us if you would like a quote for either a Wall Mounted Banner Frame or a Free-standing Heavy Duty Banner Frame.

Within our schools category we have recently added banners which seek to address the problem of  dangerous parking outside schools.  This is a problem for most schools across the country and I see examples every day outside of my own children’s school. 

The problem has been highlighted in the Independent recently as some London schools are piloting a scheme to fine parents up to £1,000.

We hope this scheme is a success.  In the meantime we will be adding more banner templates soon, which we hope will allow schools to encourage parents to park responsibly.