EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
As education environments evolve, Shaw Contract is helping contractors unlock opportunities through design, UK manufacturing and a flexible flooring portfolio built for modern learning spaces.
Education is no longer a one-size-fits-all environment, and neither is the flooring that supports it. As schools, colleges and universities move away from rigid layouts towards more flexible, design-led spaces, the demands on contractors and suppliers are shifting.
For Shaw Contract, that means offering more than just product — it’s about supporting projects from early concept design through to delivery, backed by UK manufacturing that can meet tight summer deadlines. With budgets under pressure but expectations rising, particularly in higher education, flooring has a growing role to play in shaping environments that attract students, enhance wellbeing and perform day in, day out. For contractors, it also represents a clear opportunity to tap into a sector that’s evolving fast — provided they understand what’s driving it.
CFJ recently caught up with Ryan Moody, account manager for the South West and South Wales, and Michael Gillespie, account manager for the Midlands, to explore Shaw Contract’s role in this evolving sector — and how contractors can better position themselves to win work in education.
The conversation quickly turned to how different parts of the education sector are evolving — and how flooring specifications are shifting with them.
Ryan pointed to clear changes in primary and secondary schools: ‘There’s definitely been a move away from fibre-bonded, what used to be seen as the scratchy school carpet, towards tufted products, which have traditionally been viewed as more premium. The price gap has narrowed, so more schools are going down that route now.’
That shift, he explained, isn’t just about perception, but about performance and design. ‘You can create something much more appealing visually, but it’s also softer underfoot, which matters in primary environments. We’ve got strong colour palettes too, from bright primary tones to more muted, calming shades, so you can design spaces that are either vibrant or more relaxed.’
Speed and availability also play a critical role. ‘When you combine that with UK manufacturing and fast turnaround times, it becomes a really strong proposition for contractors,’ Ryan said. ‘We’re also seeing a big increase in LVT in schools, alongside PVC-free resilient options that tick sustainability boxes.’
Michael agreed, noting that schools are increasingly balancing practicality with design. ‘There’s still a need for durability in circulation areas, but in teaching spaces there’s more emphasis on energy and engagement. You might keep things simple in corridors, then introduce more colour, pattern or texture in classrooms. The expectation now is that spaces should work hard but also look considered.’
When it comes to higher education, however, the brief shifts again and design takes centre stage. ‘Universities are much more design-led,’ Michael said. ‘We’re often involved earlier in the process, creating visuals so clients can see how a scheme will come together. You’re not just installing one tile across a space; you might be zoning a library into quiet areas, study zones and collaborative spaces, all within the same footprint.’
That flexibility is increasingly important, particularly as layouts become less rigid. ‘Planks are being used far more now because they allow for creativity,’ he added. ‘You can zone areas in a much softer, more organic way, rather than it feeling too uniform.’
For Ryan, that ability to operate across the entire education spectrum is key. ‘We fit into so much, from primary schools right through to universities and student accommodation,’ Ryan said.
‘We’ve delivered everything from high-end installations in private colleges to wellbeing hubs with calming, design-led schemes, through to accommodation projects using a mix of carpet tiles and LVT. Having that breadth means we can respond to pretty much any brief.’
Michael explained a key challenge in education projects is balancing design ambition with budget reality. ‘There’s always a conversation about making a space look special, but there’s also the reality of cost, particularly in government-funded work at the moment.’
He pointed to Shaw Contract’s manufacturing capability as a big advantage in that balance. ‘We make and stock our own yarn, which gives us an advantage on availability, Michael said. ‘We’ve got strong stocks of yarn in Scotland, so we can support projects at scale.’
That control over production, he added, means flexibility when it matters most. ‘It allows us to enhance spaces across pretty much every budget level. Even at entry level, the design ethos is still there — so you can take a limited budget and still make a space look really strong,’ he said.
Michael also highlighted the importance of UK manufacturing in delivering against tight education timeframes. ‘Summer programmes are always tight. We’ve had university projects where we’ve had two weeks’ notice. Normally lead times are longer, but we can adjust production schedules to make things work.’
It’s noted that approvals in education projects are taking longer, which places additional pressure further down the supply chain on manufacturers and contractors to ensure spaces are ready for students returning after the summer period.
Educational environments themselves are also changing. They’re no longer rows of desks, but adaptable and inclusive spaces designed to support different ways of learning and interaction. That shift places greater emphasis on flexibility within product portfolios, allowing seamless transitions between zones and uses in the same building.
Michael points out that sustainability is now coming into conversations much earlier in the specification process, particularly in education projects. ‘When we get a brief, we’ll sit down with the client and understand their goals. If there are specific sustainability requirements, we’ll make sure there’s something in the portfolio that can meet that.’
He pointed to the importance of third-party verification in that process. ‘Most of our portfolio is Cradle to Cradle Certified®, and a number of collections are carbon neutral as well,’ Michael said. ‘Each ingredient in the product is assessed, and it’s an ongoing process to maintain that certification.’
‘Education providers recognise the importance of wellbeing for their students and flooring plays a role in this. We’ve got Indoor Air Comfort Gold certification, he said. It may not always be the deciding factor on a project, but it’s a strong talking point when presenting to education clients.
Ryan added that material transparency and recycled content are increasingly important in product selection. ‘The recycled content in our yarn is a big factor. Our yarn is made from 100% recycled content, which is really strong from a sustainability point of view.’
That shift is also being driven by client-side requirements, particularly in higher education, where estates and sustainability managers are becoming more involved in decision-making. Sustainability may not always be the final deciding factor in specification, but it is increasingly part of the conversation from the outset.
Ryan said that making sustainability and circularity accessible is key to wider adoption in education projects. ‘I think it can be difficult, but it’s our job to make it simpler and more cost effective. That’s what we’re here for — making it accessible to every flooring contractor, regardless of size across the country.’
He highlighted Shaw Contract’s take-back approach as part of that support. ‘We have a takeback scheme where, regardless of whose tiles are on the floor, we’ll take them out and only charge carriage. At the end of life, EcoWorx® carpet tiles or PVC-free resilient flooring are taken back free of charge. That’s the cheapest way a contractor can remove a project.’
As education projects increasingly consider end-of-life responsibility earlier in the specification process, it’s becoming more common for refurbishment conversations to include what’s already on the floor and how it can be recovered, with closed-loop recycling steadily becoming part of standard project discussions.
Michael reinforced the importance of contractor influence in that framework. ‘Flooring contractors are really influential. When they’re involved in a project, their opinion carries a lot of weight with end-users. It’s down to us to make sure the market understands the benefits we bring — sustainability, product choice, pricing and service.’
He added that much of Shaw Contract’s education work originates through contractor relationships. ‘A lot of education leads come directly through contractors. If they’re recommending you, they’re buying into the message. There are different ways to penetrate the education market, but those long-term relationships are really important to us.’
Ryan agreed, emphasising how central contractors are to the business model. ‘Much of our success over the past few years has been built on flooring contractors first and foremost. They’re such an important part of what we do.’
That influence is particularly significant in education, where interior designers are less commonly involved and specification decisions are often made in collaboration between contractors and facilities teams. In that context, the contractor’s role becomes even more pivotal in shaping outcomes and driving product selection.
Ryan Moody is based in Taunton, Somerset and has worked in flooring since leaving college, bringing more than 30 years’ industry experience to his role at Shaw Contract, where he has been for seven-and-a-half years. He began his career as an estimator before moving into a sales role with Polyflor, where he spent 12 years, followed by positions at Burmatex and TradeChoice. He says his current role has been particularly rewarding because of the relationships built over time. ‘Many customers are friends now,’ he said. ‘I’ve been calling on some of them for 25 years, and I even started calling on their dads in some cases.’
Michael Gillespie is based in the Midlands and has worked in flooring since graduating from university about 27 years ago. He initially spent nine years with a flooring contractor before moving into carpet tile sales. Michael said Shaw Contract’s culture and direction were key reasons for joining. ‘There’s a real local feeling to Shaw, even though we’re a global company. We’re on a great journey at the moment, having doubled our markets here in the past couple of years. And everyone is really passionate here. Shaw is such a driven, motivated, dynamic company.’
