Clarendon Primary, Bolton

The climbing equipment in the Early Years area at Clarendon Primary was beyond repair, the school had maintained the equipment for as long as they could but understood it now needed to be removed following the latest inspection report that had condemned it. The safety surfacing surrounding the equipment had also become a cause for concern creating a trip hazard where it has shrunk at the edges. It had recently been repaired but water pooling in the area had created the surface to lift.

Following a quick search on Google, Pamela the School Business Manager, contacted a couple of local companies to gather some ideas and costs on how they could develop the space. She made her first contact with ESP Play on the 15^th of September in 2023 by submitting an enquiry via the website requesting a visit to the school. The area representative met both Pamela and the school’s Headteacher Vicky only four days later to discuss the project in person.

They wanted the equipment to be suitable for children aged 3-5 years old because although the equipment was in the Reception outdoor area, Nursery would sometimes use it too. The existing play tower was a castle, the school liked this feature and wanted to include it in the new design. They were then shown the castle play tower we had just installed at Ribblesdale School which they loved. They specifically wanted two columns again but this time connected by a rope bridge and with the addition of a tunnel. They were happy with the height of the existing platforms and so decided to keep those the same.

They discussed the various options for the surfacing but decided to go with artificial grass, not only was it the most cost effective option but it would eliminate the need to periodically repair the edges of the wet pour too.

The budget was a maximum of 20k but the school said they would prefer to spend less ideally around 15k. Following the meeting, we created two options for them to choose from; one tailored to the lower budget of 15k using the footprint of the existing surfacing and a second tailored to the higher budget of 19k including a slide which meant that the original footprint had to be extended because additional surfacing was required.

There was a Governors meeting taking place on the 10^th of October so the school wanted to have all their designs and quotes back by then so they could present them, reach a decision and get approval. We met the deadline and got the design back to them with plenty of time to spare and in the end, the school chose the more expensive option because they felt it was worth spending more money on.

Having chosen ESP Play as the winning design, the school placed their order, at the time the next holiday available for the install was the February half term but the school wanted the work to be done as soon as possible so they opted for November term time because they knew the area would be cordoned off and made safe. From the first contact back in September to the work being completed at the beginning of December, the whole process took less than 3 months. The school now has a high quality bespoke piece of equipment designed specifically to meet the needs of their children that will last for a minimum of 15 years.

At the end of the project we asked Pamela two questions;

Q1) Would you be happy to recommend ESP PLAY to other schools?

Q2) Would you be happy to work with ESP PLAY for any future projects?

Pamela’s response was:

1 – Yes with bells on
2 – Absolutely

Needless to say, we have another happy customer. The school were so happy with us that we have already worked with them twice more since this original installation. We have built up a wonderful relationship with this school and look forward to working with them again in the future.