Last year, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at St Nicholas’ CE Primary School contacted Playforce about an outdoor development project they’d been planning in their meetings. They were looking for someone to help them develop their playground with equipment that encouraged their pupils to play outdoors at every opportunity. They turned to us to help make their outdoor space outstanding.
Developing the school’s playground was a key objective of the PTA for 2016. They wanted to build on existing equipment and continue to foster the enthusiasm the children had for outdoor play and learning. The PTA had worked hard to fundraise for the project and wanted to put their ideas into action. We advised them on other ways to collect playground funding and grants, should they need them to complete their project.
We worked alongside the school and the PTA to advise on the overall layout and design and completed their installation during the school holidays. This meant that it was ready to be enjoyed on the first day of term. We helped St Nicholas’ CE Primary School chose equipment that would stretch the children and ensure a good level of working with others and build trust.
Julie Vipond, a PTA member, explained how the children are benefitting from their new playground;
“The children have instantly learned how to work with others to complete some of the pieces (e.g. the Up and Over Bars can work well if one person assists another to help ‘roll over the bar’). They are incredibly excited and enthusiastically want to push themselves to complete some pieces they may not be proficient in, for example the Monkey Walk.”
So what did St Nicholas’ CE Primary School say about their experience working with Playforce?
“[We had] a very enjoyable experience from phone conversations through to site visits; excellent service and brilliant flexibility, including a last minute request during an extremely busy time - would certainly recommend!”
St Nicholas’ CE Primary School is a fantastic example of getting everyone involved in your playground project. Working alongside their PTA allowed the school to share all of their ideas with us and helped us create an outstanding outdoor space that was perfect for their children. If you’re interested in developing your outdoor space or would like some advice on fundraising for schools, book a consultation with one of our friendly, local advisors today.