Bespoke Inclusive Climbing Frame at Co-op Academy Woodslee, Wirral

School profile

The school wanted to create a bespoke piece of playground equipment that would meet the needs of a pupil with special educational needs while also providing an exciting climbing and physical activity opportunity for other children.

Julie, the Wirral Hub Facilities Manager for the trust, found ESP Play through a Google search for school climbing frames with a fireman’s pole.

After discussing the school’s requirements and the available playground space, ESP Play developed a bespoke climbing solution that would provide a range of physical challenges for children aged approximately 5–11 years.

The challenge

The school wanted to create a piece of playground equipment that could provide specific physical opportunities for a pupil with special educational needs.

The pupil benefited greatly from activities such as hanging upside down and spinning. He also enjoyed holding onto a pole and straightening himself out horizontally.

The school therefore wanted to create equipment that would incorporate these types of movements while also being suitable and enjoyable for other children.

Although the equipment was primarily intended for KS1 pupils, the school wanted it to offer enough variety and challenge to remain engaging for children up to the age of 11.

The available playground space also influenced the design. Rather than creating a traditional linear trim trail, ESP Play proposed a climbing cube that would allow several different activities to be connected together in a compact square configuration.

There was also an issue with the existing playground surfacing.

The area had an old wet pour surface that had shrunk over time, leaving gaps and creating potential trip hazards. Completely removing and replacing the existing wet pour would have added significant cost to the project.

The school therefore needed a solution that would address the condition of the existing surface while providing suitable impact protection for the new climbing equipment.

The solution

A bespoke climbing cube designed around the children’s needs.

ESP Play has extensive experience creating bespoke school climbing frames and playground equipment, so the team was able to develop a design specifically for the school’s requirements.

The climbing cube uses a square configuration to connect several different climbing and physical activity elements within the available space.

The completed climbing frame features:

• Overhead Ladder Bars
• Advanced Tyre Pass
• Rope Traverse Zig
• Fireman’s Pole
• Chin Up Bar

By linking these different elements together, the climbing cube provides a versatile combination of climbing, traversing, hanging and upper-body activities.

The equipment was designed to provide different levels of challenge, making it suitable for children from approximately 5 to 11 years old.

Most importantly, the bespoke design incorporated elements that could support the specific physical movements identified by the school while remaining an exciting piece of playground equipment for other pupils.

Inclusive Playground Equipment

Inclusive playground design is about creating outdoor environments that provide meaningful opportunities for as many children as possible.

For Co-op Academy Woodslee, the project began with the specific needs of an individual pupil.

The school explained that the pupil particularly enjoyed hanging upside down, spinning and holding onto a pole while extending his body horizontally.

Rather than selecting an off-the-shelf climbing frame that might not provide these opportunities, ESP Play developed a bespoke design incorporating elements that could support these movements.

The Fireman’s Pole and Chin Up Bar provide opportunities for hanging and upper-body activity, while the climbing and traversing elements offer additional ways for children to move through and interact with the equipment.

The result is a piece of inclusive playground equipment that was designed around a specific need without making the equipment exclusive to one child.

Other pupils can use the climbing cube alongside their peers, creating opportunities for active play, physical development and social interaction.

Safety Considerations

The condition of the existing wet pour surfacing was an important consideration during the project.

The existing surface had shrunk and developed gaps, creating potential trip hazards. However, completely removing and replacing the wet pour would have significantly increased the project cost.

ESP Play therefore developed a playground surface repair solution that allowed the existing surface to be retained where possible.

The damaged wet pour was repaired before artificial grass was installed across the area.

However, the existing wet pour did not provide sufficient depth to meet the impact-attenuation requirements for the fall height of the new climbing equipment.

To address this, ESP Play installed a shock pad underneath the artificial grass.

The combination of the repaired existing surface, shock pad and artificial grass provided a suitable safety surfacing solution for the new climbing frame while avoiding the expense of completely excavating and replacing the existing wet pour.

This approach allowed the school to improve both the appearance and safety of the playground while making the most of its available budget.

Designing a Bespoke Climbing Cube

The climbing cube configuration was particularly well suited to the school’s available space.

Traditional trim trails are often arranged in a straight line, with children moving from one activity to the next.

A climbing cube allows different playground activities to be connected around a square structure, creating a more compact and visually engaging climbing frame.

This made it possible to incorporate a number of different challenges without requiring a large linear footprint.

The combination of climbing, traversing, hanging and balancing-style activities also means children can approach the equipment in different ways and develop a variety of physical skills.

Installation

ESP Play worked with the school to develop the bespoke climbing cube around the available space and the requirements identified by Julie and the school.

The existing wet pour surfacing was repaired before the new surfacing system was installed.

A shock pad was added to provide the additional impact attenuation required for the fall height of the new equipment, with artificial grass installed as the finished surface.

The bespoke climbing cube was then installed, linking the Overhead Ladder Bars, Advanced Tyre Pass, Rope Traverse Zig, Fireman’s Pole and Chin Up Bar into one versatile playground feature.

The completed installation provides a compact climbing solution that makes effective use of the existing playground space.

The outcome

A bespoke climbing frame designed for inclusive active play.

The completed project has given Co-op Academy Woodslee a unique climbing frame that combines inclusive design with a wide variety of physical challenges.

Children can now:

• Climb and traverse
• Develop upper-body strength
• Practise coordination and balance
• Hang and move through different positions
• Challenge themselves at different levels
• Develop physical confidence
• Enjoy active outdoor play
• Use the equipment alongside their peers

The bespoke design means the equipment can support the specific physical needs identified by the school while remaining engaging for a wider range of children.

The climbing cube also makes efficient use of the available playground space, providing several activities within a compact design.

The surfacing improvements have transformed the appearance of the area while addressing the problems associated with the old, shrunken wet pour.

Most importantly, the school achieved its aim of creating a piece of equipment that could provide valuable physical opportunities for a pupil with special educational needs while also being enjoyed by other children.

School testimonial

Following completion of the project, ESP Play contacted Julie to see how the new equipment had been received.

Her response was clear: “Absolutely fabulous, it looks amazing.”

The project was such a success that Julie went on to book ESP Play for a visit to another school within the trust to discuss their next outdoor project.