Playforce news

We are pleased to announce that for the second year running, Playforce has achieved exor accreditation for quality and compliance. Gaining exor accreditation is something that we are very proud of but what does it mean to us and, more importantly, to those of you looking to find a reputable playground supplier? What is exor [...]... Read more.

Imaginative play is ever changing and growing, giving schools the chance to introduce a range of activities to their pupils inside and outside the classroom. With the flashing lights and noisy music of many new toys on the market, it’s easy to forget about one of the most simple activities of them all – block [...]... Read more.

Ofsted have recently published a new report ‘Beyond 2012 – outstanding physical education for all’ stating that schools are not including enough strenuous physical activity in their PE lessons. The report shows that in more than a quarter of schools teaching did not improve pupils’ physical fitness, suggesting that restricting exercise to PE lessons and [...]... Read more.

With 50 primary schools registered for this year’s Oxfordshire Big Science Event, up 25% on 2011, the competition is set to be the biggest yet.

The competition has begun in schools across the county with more than 5,000 pupils expected to participate. The Big Science Event final will take place on Thursday 27th June 2013 at Science Oxford Live.
The countywide competition is coordinated by Science Oxford and challenges primary school pupils to devise and carry out their own science investigation. Last year, 40 schools entered the competition and the investigations varied from ‘Which material makes the best parachute for Batman?’ to ‘Can girls hear better than boys?’

This year Science Oxford is also running a separate Big Science Event competition in Buckinghamshire.
Schools Programme Manager, Natalie Ford said “The Big Science Event competition is one of the highlights of my year. I find it inspiring to see all of the creative ideas for science investigations that the children come up with”. The winning school will receive a prize of £1,500 worth of playground equipment from event sponsors Playforce.

Dr Colin MacAdam, Managing Director at Playforce, said “We are thrilled to support the Big Science Event once again this year. At Playforce we believe learning should be fun and that’s why it’s such a treat to be able to work with Science Oxford for a second year. They share our passion for exploring science and learning through play, as well as during classroom time, as well of our love of innovation and imagination. It was great to see the enthusiasm for science and investigation in last year’s competition and we’re looking forward to seeing what the children come up with this time!”

Thomas Bradley, Hamish Harrison-Cushing and Rodolfo Neils-Gervasio from Year 5 at St. Aloysius Primary School won first prize in 2012 with their experiment “Do ants like salty or sweet foods best?”

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We’re celebrating National Storytelling Week by attempting to create a story with the most individual authors. Some of the staff at Playforce have made a start, but we’d love you to help us by adding a few lines to our story. Simply email claire.pearson@playforce.co.uk with your addition to the story, and let us know who [...]... Read more.