Welbourne Primary School, London

In need of a new way to encourage more free flow play, Welbourne Primary School chose a Poddely Set to do the job. They tell us how the new play equipment has changed the way they play.

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Why did you want to develop your playground?

Free flow play has become an increasingly important part of the curriculum so we wanted to ensure that our pupils had access to it in a fun and innovative way. We needed to find a solution that wouldn’t require too much space and would enable us to take part in play, indoors or outdoors, whenever opportunity arose. Therefore it would need to be easy to set-up and simple to pack away at the end of the day.

What were the key elements that made Playforce stand out from other providers?

We had been looking at the Playforce website and the Poddely Sets caught our eye. Designed for free flow play, they would be a solution that ticked all of the boxes in our eyes. When we enquired about the sets the School Grounds Consultant was friendly and very helpful – they gave us a lot of advice about how the set could be used and even offered to show us how schools have used them in the past.

Having more flexibility has given the children a new confidence. They are more inventive and imaginative with their ideas and the Poddely Set encourages them to look at problem solving in a new way.

How are you using the space to deliver outdoor learning and educational play?

We’ve managed to incorporate the Poddely Set into a range of activities and subjects at school. We can create first-hand demonstrations for science and numeracy or simply make a space to sit in outdoors. We’ve built dens and water runs, stages and easels. If we want to pick it up and head outside, it’s simple. If it starts raining we can just move play back inside.

What are the biggest benefits you have seen for the children?

Having more flexibility has given the children a new confidence. They are more inventive and imaginative with their ideas and the Poddely Set encourages them to look at problem solving in a new way. They approach new challenges with enthusiasm and creativity, changing their environment regularly has inspired them. We’ve been very impressed with all the imaginative ways they have used the new equipment.

Can you share any practice insights you have gained?

Teaching the children how to set-up and put away the Poddely Set not only makes the process a lot quicker but also gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility. They know if they want to play, they need to help tidy it up afterwards but even getting the Poddely Set back into it’s Storage Pod is a fun jigsaw puzzle.

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