The brief
Woodford Primary School wanted to upgrade a tired play area and transform it into an exciting space which focused on developing strength, balance and co-ordination skills.
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Trailblazing toward sustainable play at Plymouth primary school
The plan
A mini-trail was the ideal solution as it could be designed to fit the compact space and offered a range of challenges including: curved balance beams, grab poles, stepping logs and a climbing traverse. The design team offered two options: to manufacture in soft wood, or to use longer-lasting recycled plastic. The school chose to make a long term investment in play as they recognised that whilst recycled plastic was initially more expensive, over the lifetime of the playground it represented great play value, as the equipment would outlast wood by many, many years and future maintenance costs would be minimal.
The result
Staff are really pleased with the enhanced play space as it is helping to build pupils’ confidence and co-ordination skills. As the children invent their own games and challenges, they are also developing important social skills such as co-operation and turn-taking.
When we revisited the school recently to see how the play area is performing, School Premises Manager Tony Evans is impressed with both the look and quality of the play equipment:
“Two years on from the installation and we remain delighted with the design – it is really appealing to the children and so easy to maintain – a quick wash with a power hose and it looks like new.”
