St Matthew’s C of E Primary

Deborah, the School Business Manager at St Matthew’s C of E Primary School called ESP Play for a free design and quotation for the school’s KS1 Playground. After finding us on Google, she had looked through the case studies on the website and loved what she had seen, the natural aesthetic we provide with our wooden equipment suited exactly what the school was looking for. They had been saving money for years so that they could develop the area, it was virtually empty with nothing but a couple of activity panels, markings and an old trim trail that had been condemned and removed. They wanted to create some clear zones using some new surfacing; one in particular that could be used for PE lessons and playing sports but their ultimate goal was to make the area more engaging.

There was a double gate that parents used for access, this needed to kept free along with a pathway through the area. There was a section of fencing that the school wanted to remove to open up the space, as they knew this would be the ideal location for the sports area. They didn’t want any fixed goals or line markings because they wanted the area to be as flexible as possible.

They wanted some climbing equipment but to keep it low level, they loved our open ended block set and tree trails. We suggested a combination of blue artificial grass running though the green artificial grass like a river as this would add more colour along with an element of imagination and role play. The current playground did not have any shelter and we felt it was much needed as one would provide shade in the sun and cover from the rain. The original budget was 40k but Deborah was willing to increase it to 50k to get the dream area they had wanted for so long.

The school really wanted the project to be completed over the summer holidays so we knew we had to work quickly to meet their deadline rushing the initial design and quote through for them. After receiving them, Deborah booked a second meeting with the consultant. They had put the design to the school council and wanted to make a couple of changes; they wanted to add in two ball catchers and a stage area where the children could perform. The representative suggested they could also include a chalkboard back drop and musical panels which they loved as these would enhance the area even further. They also swapped the large shelter for a smaller one and reduced the amount of picket fencing just to bring the costs back in line with the budget.

One final time the project was rushed through design to get amended, from the initial contact on the 3^rd of May to placing the order on the 16^th of June the process had only taken just over 6 weeks and they elated when they found out they were just in time to secure a summer holiday install too!

On completion, Deborah provided this feedback “The whole experience has been fantastic from day one of Shona’s arrival on site, so enthusiastic at the sales visit, through to great communication throughout the design/installation and sign off. We could not have received a better service from anyone else – well done teams! We would certainly use ESP Play again and have no hesitation to recommend ESP Play to other schools.”