Avanti Gardens, Bristol

Project Snapshot

School: Avanti Gardens
Location: Bristol
Client / Trust: Avanti Schools Trust
Project Value: £10,000+
Completion: April 2025

The Brief
As part of a government-funded schools-based nursery programme, Avanti Schools Trust sought to expand early years provision for families at their Avanti Gardens site in Fishponds, Bristol. The existing EYFS outdoor space had been designed to serve older pupils and did not meet the needs of the new nursery-aged children joining in the coming months.

Our Solution
The solution focused on maximising a previously underused area within the school grounds, which had been difficult to maintain due to loose bark surfacing and overgrown shrubs. With space at a premium, the key priorities were to create an all-weather, fully accessible outdoor environment while providing meaningful gross motor development opportunities through climbing and physical play.

By introducing durable surfacing and carefully selected fixed equipment, the space was transformed into a practical and engaging outdoor area for nursery-aged children. The school planned to complement these fixed resources with free-standing equipment brought out from indoor provision, allowing the space to remain flexible and responsive to different learning activities.

What We Delivered

• A low-level Wildwood Coppice Tree Trail was carefully selected to encourage the development of gross motor skills, supporting large upper-body movements and grip strength, both of which are closely linked to early handwriting development in young children.
• Resin-bound mulch surfacing was installed to provide a durable, all-weather solution, ensuring the outdoor area remains accessible year-round in line with EYFS guidance that outdoor provision must be continuously available. A complementary tricolour mix was chosen to sit harmoniously within the school’s beautiful grounds, enhancing the natural setting while maintaining practicality.
• The installation was completed during the summer term by our enhanced DBS-checked playground engineers, ensuring the works were carried out safely and without disruption to the school’s day-to-day activities. This careful planning allowed the new nursery to open fully prepared for the start of the academic year.
• Following completion, the play area was independently inspected to confirm full compliance with EN 1176 and EN 1177 safety standards.

The Outcome
To ensure the youngest learners were properly supported, it was essential to create a dedicated outdoor environment tailored specifically to their stage of development. The new space provides nursery pupils with a safe, engaging setting that supports early learning, physical development, and play, while giving them a sense of ownership separate from the main school environment.