Cloverlea Primary, Altrincham

Brief

Stuart, a PTA member at Cloverlea Primary School, reached out to three companies to obtain ideas and quotes for a new clamber stack climbing frame. The PTA has been diligently fundraising to dismantle the condemned old climbing equipment and replace it with a new, thrilling play structure for the children.

The equipment was intended for the KS2 children with a budget of £20,000. Although there was existing rubber mulch surfacing, we decided not to constrain our choices to the footprint of the current surface. Instead of layering over the existing mulch—which is not best practice—we opted to remove it. This approach also allows the school to take advantage of the five-year guarantee that comes with the new surfacing.

The school had decided they wanted to replace the old clamber stack with something similar like the units in our Tangled range. Stuart was presented with the various options that would be suitable specifically for KS2 children and he instantly loved both the Jumping Spider and Huntsman.

He also wanted to have a second phase to the project so they could develop the area further in the future, this would be to add some trim trail items around the outside of the area similar to how it was previously, he wanted to ensure we included items that would be challenging because he felt the current items were too easy.

We created two design options for Stuart, both split into two phases of 20k, with the main focus being the different Tangled units and both having varying trim trail equipment around the edges. Stuart was keen to involve the pupils in the process and so we created a flyover video of the designs for him to show them.

Outcome

Once Stuart had received all three quotations he showed the children, he then held a meeting with the school’s senior leadership team, at this meeting they shortlisted us down to one of the two companies they were considering and just had some questions to ask before they could make their final decision.

In the end, the children chose the Jumping Spider and although it was slightly over the initial budget we were able to offer the school a payment plan so they could get the equipment and surfacing they wanted without having to compromise.

When we spoke to the school at the end of the project Hannah said she was “very happy with the works and the service received. The teams on site were fantastic and very courteous.” She also said that she would be more than happy to work with us again and recommend ESP.