Portheleven Primary School, Cornwall

Client – Crofty Multi Academy Trust

Budget – £35,000

Porthleven School is 1 of 16 Schools in the Crofty Multi Academy Trust and is located in Helston, Cornwall for children aged 3-11

Brief – Duncan (executive head) was seeking advise on how best to uplift their EYFS space. Whilst the area was well presented and exhbited natural areas for zoning, opportunities for play and learning were restricted to non-fixed resource. This was time consuming for teachers to set up and reduced the time in which children had access to structured play.

Duncan was keen for prospective contractors to evidence a focus on physical development, knowledge of the world, and sand/ water and messy play. The school had recently invested in a wall mounted shelter (installed by others) which offered no protection from prevailing coastal winds and precipitation. As such, I was asked to consider ways to modify this structure, thus affording the children a more usable break out zone.

On initial scoping off the site, a slope across the length of the space was evident and advise pertaining to this was that some of our play structures would have to be modified to offset the site profile. This was the best course of action as Duncan was eager to retain the natural aesthetic and invest his budget into adding play value rather than in costs associated with soft landscaping & regrading of the ground.

Outcome – Duncan, the EYFS practitioners and most importantly,  the pupils are delighted with the completed installation. The bespoke tangled unit, tree house sand pit, and mud kitchen zones have been noted as overwhelming triumphs. With the modification of their existing shelter, they now have a fully enclosed weatherproof space which is fit for purpose and provides an additional learning space away from the classroom.

The project was completed on time and at the price quoted. As a result, the school wouldn’t hesitate to work with ESP in the future and recommend our services to other schools.