Most schools manage dining hall noise through operational measures – staffing, supervision, and additional support for pupils who struggle most. The Teacher Tapp results included in this study illustrate how widespread that approach is across England.
What schools are doing now (and why it matters)
In the Teacher Tapp findings (9,560 teachers), the most common measures were behavioural supervision (58%), ear defenders (43%), and a separate indoor room for pupils most affected (37%). Only 6% reported fixed sound absorption in the dining hall, and only 9% reported no problems with noise.
The study also notes that some coping measures can reduce inclusivity if they remove pupils from shared social spaces.
Priority 1: Focus on reverberation time
Across the study, reverberation time had the clearest relationship with negative pupil experience, including conversational difficulty, discomfort, and annoyance. The study concludes that BB93 reverberation time guidance for dining/multi-purpose halls is not adequate for supporting a comfortable experience for all pupils, particularly those with hearing sensitivities.
A practical target suggested by the research – the study proposes an improved RT target of 0.5–0.8 seconds (Tmf) for dining halls. This is positioned as a way to better support listening comfort and inclusion, informed by the relationship observed between RT and pupil feedback. For projects where dining halls are heavily used, set RT targets early and treat the hall as a key wellbeing space, not a secondary area.
Priority 2: Don’t over-weight ambient noise if it is already controlled
The study found indoor ambient noise levels were generally well controlled in the surveyed halls and below levels associated with triggering the Lombard effect. This supports the practical view that, in many dining halls, the dominant issue is occupied noise build-up, not unoccupied background noise.
Priority 3: Align room use with how the hall performs in practice
The study uses the concept of acoustic capacity to show that the number of pupils a hall can support for reasonable conversation can be much lower than its area-based capacity. This indicates that while reverberation time plays a key role in student experience, so too does the physical properties (particularly volume) of the space.
Operational considerations supported by the research context:
- Review lunchtime scheduling and occupancy patterns, particularly in larger schools;
- Where possible, reduce peak occupancy in one space at one time (for example through multiple sittings).
Priority 4: Use inclusive design to reduce reliance on workarounds
The study notes that many current coping strategies (ear defenders, separate quiet rooms) are widely used, but may not always be inclusive because they can remove pupils from shared social spaces. Improving the dining hall’s acoustic environment supports inclusion by making the main space more comfortable for a wider range of pupils.
Summary
Dining halls are high-occupancy social environments. This research provides evidence that controlling reverberation time is a practical lever for improving conversation conditions and reducing the likelihood of noise build-up. The research indicates that an enhanced criteria of 0.5-0.8s is likely to help control noise build up in the space and create a more comfortable environment for students and staff alike.
For further reading, access Caroline’s paper here
