Stairs that teach
Three staircases printed riser by riser: school values on one, number facts on another, phonics sounds on a third.
Sydney school project · Learning-environment graphics
Stairs that teach: values and learning graphics for St Clare's.
A school-wide graphics program in Narellan Vale that turned circulation space into teaching surfaces — stair graphics carrying values, times tables and phonics, alphabet wall bands, column wraps and values panels across the building.
Narellan Vale, Sydney · designed, surveyed, printed and installed by Platinum Signs
Numeracy staircase
Every riser carries a number fact, so the staircase itself becomes a teaching aid.
- Location
- Narellan Vale, NSW
- Surfaces
- Stairs · walls · columns · building
- Build
- UV-printed ACM + laminated SAV
- Delivery
- Design · site survey · install
The project in detail
Three staircases, playground walls and the building itself.
Seven photographs follow the program from printed strips in production to values, numeracy and phonics graphics installed through the school.
Survey markups, correspondence and duplicate angles were removed. Each photograph shows a different surface or content set from the program.
Project at a glance
One program across every surface students move past.
Schools rarely need one sign — they need a consistent environment. This program carried the school's values and learning content across stairs, playground walls, columns and the building itself.
Walls that spell
Alphabet and phonics bands run along the playground seating walls, each letter paired with a picture at student eye level.
A building that speaks
UV-printed ACM values panels across the fascia and column wraps through the covered walkways carry the same identity outside.
How it came together
From the school's values to installed graphics.
School environments have odd surfaces — rendered columns, brick, painted stair risers, seating walls. The program was built around a site survey so every graphic was made for the surface it lives on.
Read the four delivery stages
- 1
Design from the school's content
Artwork was created around the school's own values, number facts and phonics program rather than generic decoration.
- 2
Site survey first
Surfaces and dimensions were confirmed on site before production, so risers, bands and panels arrived cut to fit.
- 3
Print for each surface
ACM panels were UV direct printed with a matte finish; wall and stair graphics were printed on self-adhesive vinyl and laminated.
- 4
Installation around school life
The graphics were installed across the school's stairs, walls, columns and building by the Platinum Signs crew.
Project anatomy
Materials chosen for a primary school environment.
School graphics live outdoors, at child height, and get touched every day. Each surface got a build suited to how hard it works.
UV-printed ACM panels
Rigid aluminium composite panels with matte UV direct printing carry the values messaging on the building.
View ACM signsLaminated printed vinyl
Self-adhesive vinyl graphics with protective lamination handle daily contact on stairs, walls and columns.
View wall graphicsSurface-fit production
Risers, bands and wraps were produced to surveyed dimensions so each piece fits its stair, wall or column.
See UV printingMaterial decision
Why printed graphics instead of paint?
Printed, laminated graphics deliver detailed multi-colour artwork — letters, pictures, number facts — with consistent quality across dozens of surfaces, and individual pieces can be replaced if damaged. The school later returned for painted stencil work on columns, using each method where it fits best.
Painted finishes still suit large flat colour areas and surfaces where a coating outlasts an applied film. Many school programs, including this one, end up using both.
Budgeting a school program
What drives the cost of a school graphics program.
School programs are priced from the surface list rather than a single sign specification. The main drivers are:
- How many stairs, walls, columns and building areas are in scope
- Design scope — adapting supplied artwork versus creating it from your content
- Materials per surface: rigid panels, laminated vinyl or painted stencils
- Site survey findings — surface condition and access
- Installation staging around school terms and hours
Send campus photos and your content list for a program-specific quote — surface condition and staging change scope materially between schools.
Technical detail
The deeper project information, available when useful.
The main story stays visual and easy to scan. Open these sections for the delivered scope, the evidence in the photography and the specifications that still need a site-specific review.
The confirmed scope shown and described on this page includes the following elements.
- Design creation built on the school's values and learning content
- Site survey to confirm sizes and installation specs before production
- UV direct printed ACM panels with matte finishing
- Printed and laminated self-adhesive vinyl graphics for stairs, walls and columns
- Installation by the Platinum Signs crew, plus later stencil work on a return engagement
The photo set documents the graphics installed and in use across the school.
- Three staircases with different teaching content on their risers
- Alphabet and phonics bands along playground walls
- Values panels mounted across the building fascia
- Column wraps through the covered walkways
- Printed strips prepared in production before installation
A comparable school program should be scoped from its own site and content.
- The school's values, learning content and artwork approvals
- Surface conditions — render, brick, paint — and the right media for each
- Stair, wall and column dimensions from a site survey
- Installation timing around school terms and hours
- Which surfaces suit printed graphics versus painted finishes
Sydney proof · Education capability
One school completed, and a client that came back.
This program was completed in Sydney at St Clare's Catholic Primary School in Narellan Vale, and the school engaged Platinum Signs again the following year for stencil work on its columns. School programs like this can be scoped for any campus — staged across terms, holidays or a single installation window.
- Content-led design, not generic decoration
- Survey-first production so every piece fits
- Staged installation around school operations
Prepare a useful brief
What to send for a school graphics program.
School programs are scoped from the campus and the content — both matter before any pricing.
Read the four-point quoting checklist
- 1
The content
Your values, learning programs or artwork themes — even as a rough list — so design starts from the right material.
- 2
Photos of the surfaces
Stairs, walls, columns and building areas in scope, photographed straight-on where possible.
- 3
The campus plan
A simple map or list of areas helps stage the program and the installation sequence.
- 4
Timing constraints
Term dates, holidays and any areas that must be installed outside school hours.
Frequently asked questions
Questions this project usually raises.
Practical answers for principals, P&Cs and facilities teams planning school graphics.
Yes — that is the point of this program. St Clare's staircases carry the school's values, number facts and phonics phases, and the playground bands pair each letter or sound with a picture. Design starts from your content, not a template.
Each surface gets a build suited to its wear: rigid UV-printed ACM on the building, and laminated self-adhesive vinyl on stairs, walls and columns. Individual pieces can be replaced if one is damaged, without redoing the whole program.
Installation is scheduled around school operations — holidays, weekends or cordoned areas during term — and confirmed at the site survey along with access and surface details.
Yes. The approach — content-led design, site survey, surface-matched materials, staged installation — applies to any school. This page documents a Sydney project at one campus; a similar program is scoped from your own site and content.
Related capability
Explore the services behind the St Clare's program.
Use the project as proof of education work, then open the product page that matches your campus plans.
Wall graphics
Explore printed wall graphics for learning spaces, libraries and halls.
View wall graphicsACM signs
See the rigid panel signage used for the values messaging on the building.
View ACM signsWayfinding signs
Directional and identification signage for campuses, corridors and shared buildings.
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School graphics programs
Planning values, wayfinding or learning graphics for your school?
Send photos of your stairs, walls and buildings plus the content you want them to carry. We will scope design, materials and an installation plan around your term dates.