Founded in 1974 Langley School is a secondary school with academy status situated in the Borough of Solihull, West Midlands. In keeping with a continual programme of refurbishment, the main sports hall at the school would be high on the agenda for a new replacement floor. With a requirement to obtain the best sports floor on the market Langley School turned to international flooring specialist Gerflor to supply over 680m2 of their world-class Olympic pedigree Taraflex vinyl sports flooring in ‘Anthracite’ finish. As the main hall would also have to facilitate other non-sports activities including exams the school also opted for Taraflex® Bateco, which is a moveable solution for protecting multisports floors falling on non-sporting activities.

The school is a mixed, 11–16 comprehensive school with a current pupil roll of 1050 and their motto is ‘Be the best you can be’ which of course means that sports and fitness features on the comprehensive curriculum. Langley School aims to create environments where pupils of all abilities are able to learn, strive, and succeed. The school firmly believes that a lifelong love of movement is instilled by allowing young people to explore a variety of sports at a variety of levels. Their approach to sports is inclusive; the need for pupils to enjoy sports, and work with them to find a sport or sports that they will really enjoy. Sport offers the pupils more than just physical movement; it offers them the opportunity to lead, to be part of a team, and to enjoy the camaraderie that comes with working towards a collective goal. The staff come from a variety of sporting and educational backgrounds. Many have represented teams at national level and are fortunate to have sports leaders with first class coaching qualifications. All the sporting staff have a passion not just for their sport but for all sports taught at Langley School.

Outlining their decision to specify Gerflor sports products Mark Brown, Facilities Manager at Langley School said, “Our sports hall floor had become damaged, so I contacted Wayne Andrews at Gerflor to go through our options. On his recommendations, we decided to upgrade our sports flooring surface to Taraflex for the duty of care and protection qualities the product delivers, which is safer and more comfortable for our students. The durability of the Taraflex from Gerflor is absolutely first class and truly fit for purpose for many years to come.”

Commenting on the project Wayne Andrews, Gerflor Key Account Sports and Education Manager North said, “This was a direct enquiry through our technical support team followed up immediately by myself. The school had previously had an incredibly old low-profile system with lino and a depth/void difference which required a build-up.

The school chose Taraflex Subflex with Taraflex Evolution C3 Combi System offering high performance shock absorption levels of >45%, along with the immediate impact protection from Taraflex Evolution which was not present with the existing lino surface.

Along with shock absorption, Taraflex also provides the benefits of Protecsol Surface Treatment providing reduced friction build up (co-efficient of friction) and ease of cleanability with long-term low life cycle cost benefits for the school which means no polish for life.”

Wayne Andrews was keen to point out, “The school chose a sports floor manufactured by Gerflor, the world’s largest sports flooring manufacturer which has been used a grass roots level and all the way up to the Olympic Games since 1976. Mark Brown understood what the overall benefits that Taraflex could offer.”

On performance Mark Brown said, “The Taraflex sports floor we specified is definitely meeting our specification and exceeding our expectations. We are extremely pleased with our new sports floor from Gerflor. It looks impressive and is delivering a safer and more comfortable surface for all our students to excel in when participating in sports. We also hire the space out to various badminton, netball and volleyball leagues who are also commenting that the new floor is exceptional and a pleasure to use.”

The installation of the new Taraflex® Evolution sports floor at Langley School would be undertaken by the Solihull based FLR Group. For more than 40 years, FLR Group has been supplying carpets, luxury vinyl and other high quality flooring products to commercial environments across the UK. Though they started small, FLR are now an industry leader. From their state-of-the-art showroom in Solihull, FLR are dedicated to ensuring every customer is given the opportunity to have world class products alongside a superior level of service.

Adam Kaid, Contracts Manager, FLR Group said, “Since our last communication with the client, we know that the Gerflor Taraflex sports flooring is meeting and surpassing expectations. We are really delighted with the end result and would definitely install and if given the opportunity specify Gerflor again.”

In a concluding statement Wayne Andrews said, “Mark Brown was extremely pleased with the initial consultation and the free site survey and follow up. Mark is incredibly delighted with the end result and service Gerflor offered along with FLR Group’s excellent installation.”

Summing up Mark Brown commented, “From start to finish the process was easy and trouble-free. I can’t thank Wayne Andrews enough for his help and specification assistance and to Adam Kaid from FLR for installing the sports floor. We would definitely specify Gerflor’s Taraflex sports flooring again.”

Supporting Information

Gerflor Company Overview

Gerflor manufactures a comprehensive range of interior flooring solutions tailored for Education including Secondary and Primary Schools, Universities, Colleges, and other Learning space, this includes vinyl, linoleum, carpets, and rubber.

Their innovative products create both functional and visually appealing environments, ensuring safety, comfort, and long-term performance in high-traffic areas. Gerflor’s flooring is engineered to withstand heavy use while reducing maintenance costs, making it ideal for hardworking spaces. By working closely with the sport and education sectors, Gerflor ensures that its solutions meet the highest standards of safety, hygiene, and accessibility for pupils, students, and athletes alike.

Overview of Taraflex® products installed at Langley School.

Taraflex® sports flooring has been fitted at every Olympic Games since 1976. Approved by many National and International governing bodies as a world class sports surface, it is also widely installed within the education, community, leisure, health, and fitness sectors. Taraflex® is ideal for new build projects and refurbishments and is extremely durable and cost effective to maintain. Over 6 million pupils everyday enjoy the benefits of Taraflex® sports flooring as it delivers a versatile range that can be used for various multi-specialist applications.

Subflex Taraflex® Evolution delvers shock absorption >45%: providing high levels of performance and safety for players. It’s high-density surface with 900 kg/m3 HDF improves durability. The offset double-layer structure enables a full assembly coverage delivering solidity, stability, and superior resistance to static and rolling loads.

Taraflex® Evolution is available in 17 all over colours and 4 wood-effect designs as standard, with an addition of 110 solid colour options available. The improved Taraflex® Evolution product is now even safer, better performing and offers even more protection than before.

The greater protection has been obtained thanks to a total re-engineering of the CXP-HD™ foam technology that provides cushioning for exercise and sports play. Gerflor’s Taraflex® Evolution continues to be the market benchmark in sports floors with outstanding durability, improved comfort and protection offering a P1 category shock absorbency (25% to 35%) and a new 7.5mm thickness.

Taraflex® Evolution offers maximum hygiene with bacteriostatic and a fungistatic treatment and comes with the Triple Action Protecsol® surface treatment which provides easy maintenance, friction protection and ‘intelligent’ sliding coefficient. The surface reinforcement which delivers durability and abrasion resistance is provided by a unique D-Max fibreglass grid. Taraflex® sports floorings are available with a complete range of shock absorption P1/P2/P3 ratings, so that the right solution can be specified every time, whether it is for exercise or play or both and for all ages and ability.

The family of Taraflex® sports floorings are sustainable solutions thanks to their unique product construction:

Indoor air quality – Meeting ISO 16000 standards, some of the lowest VOC emissions on the market.

Energy saving – A colour selection with high light reflectance values assists with lighting energy saving. Reduced maintenance costs – the Protecsol® surface treatment is the most durable on the market. It ensures minimal maintenance and exceptional sustainability of the product.

Proactive post manufacturing waste management – Use of recycled content in product design and the PVC is also 100% recyclable.

A second life programme for post installation waste – Re-use of post installation waste and redundant materials is possible.

Selected and responsible raw materials – NO heavy metal, NO solvent, NO formaldehyde, NO substance potentially subject to REACH* restrictions

*REACH is the European regulation on registering, assessing, and authorising chemical products within the European Union. Taraflex® Bateco is a moveable solution for Protecting multi-sports floors falling on non-sporting activities. It can be unrolled over the floors and rolled up again before resuming sports activities. Taraflex® Bateco is made from 100% post manufacturing recycled wastes.

With a complete range of shock absorption P1/P2/P3, Taraflex® sports floors from Gerflor, deliver the right solution every time whether it is for exercise or play for all ages and ability.

It’s important to note that alongside the Taraflex sports range, Gerflor can provide sports flooring solutions for all situations. With first-class leading sub-constructions for increased shock absorption or linoleum playing surfaces such as the DLW Sports range, there is no facility that cannot be improved with the introduction of a sports surface from Gerflor.

Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01625 428 922, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.