St John the Baptist RC Primary, Burnley, Lancashire

When local school, St John the Baptist RC Primary, wanted to update their playground they got in touch with ESP Play requesting a free playground design consultation. Headteacher, Helen wanted to invest in the KS2 Playground, it had been years since anything was done. The school had an existing shelter that was rotten and needed to be removed, they also had a traverse wall and although the condition was still ok, she didn’t feel it was providing enough of a challenge for the KS2 pupils. There was an existing trim trail that was also rotting and needed removing, Helen was keen to replace it with something, again more challenging, but also different from the previous equipment.

Helen loved both our Freeflow and Tangled ranges equally, she just couldn’t choose between them, so to help her decide we created two design options for her to consider; one including a bespoke Freeflow unit and the other including the lowered Tangled Huntsman. Both units required a safety surface and Helen also wanted the children to be able to use the equipment all year round so she opted for Artificial Grass as this was in keeping with the surrounding area.

We have a standard split traverse wall but this was similar to the existing one the school already had so we felt we needed to create a new bespoke, far more challenging traverse wall so that’s exactly what we did.

Helen finally settled on the lowered Tangled Huntsman and the school now have an exciting new piece of climbing equipment to explore. The new climbing wall is equally as exciting, both providing the children with the equipment needed to develop and improve their gross and fine motor skills as well as coordination, strength and stamina.

Outcome

The new outdoor classroom provides a new space for learning as well providing much need shelter and shade from the elements, whether that be rain or sunshine. The solid sides provide more protection and also allow for more seating to accommodate more pupils.

On completion, Helen said “Shona was really helpful at the planning stage and helped us put together a plan after listening to our wants and suggestions. Both projects had have been completed to a high standard and the pupils love playing on them. As a project manager Mark was approachable, polite and thorough. The two teams who worked on the projects worked hard and were pleasant. Nathan’s team even came into Class 1 for a show and tell session about their jobs. I would definitely recommend your company to other schools . The pupils at school are much more active and excited to be using the new equipment, thanks!”

Our goal, as a company, has always been to get more children more active and that mission has definitely been accomplished on this project. Helen has already been back in touch to discuss a future project so we look forward to working with her again in the near future.

Get in touch to claim your free playground design and consultation.