Woodlands Academy, Aspley, Nottingham

Woodlands Academy caters for pupils aged 3 -16yrs with a wide variety of special educational needs, including speech, language and communication needs, moderate to severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning needs.

ESP were tasked to recognise the challenges of teachers and pupils and in doing so, design a safe and supportive play environment where all pupils are given the opportunity to thrive. The school are committed to standards, expectations and achievable targets embedded in a broad and balanced, personalised curriculum with a focus on literacy, numeracy, creativity, physical development, personal development and life skills. This provided focus for ESP to align their design concepts with curriculum outcomes.

Through extensive consultation and design, the school grounds were divided into 5 distinct zones which were broadly categorised by user age group and the special educational needs of the pupils. It was important for practitioners the new provision was nonprescriptive and play was largely self-initiated.

With the benefit of open dialogue and full stakeholder involvement throughout the consultation process, the end result is a fabulous full grounds development that delivers against all objectives. Comprising of many bespoke elements, including a play tower and cobweb tangled unit. The school grounds now also benefit from an outdoor gym, calisthenic zone and shelter/ decompression space.

The programme of works was delivered on time and to budget but more significantly, the pupils are flourishing in their new setting.

All projects (big or small) present objectives and a weight of responsibility, but few installations have such compelling outcomes because quite simply, they matter more. Woodlands Academy is a perfect example of this and ESP were privileged to be a part of the process and we look forward to working with Raleigh Trust on future developments.