Radcliffe Hall Church of England Methodist Primary

Eager to reduce disruption and maximise impact, Radcliffe Hall Primary School took advantage of Playforce’s finance option, and the results are spectacular. We asked their Playforce consultant, Lizzy Sayers about working with the school to develop their dream play area.

GET IN TOUCH

See what Playforce can do for you. Call us on 01604 261690

Why did Radcliffe want to develop their playground?
Having wanted to develop their playground for a number of years, when Radcliffe Hall’s building extension left KS1 with a small strip of grass unsuitable as a learning space, it provided an excellent opportunity to review their outdoor areas. Radcliffe Hall wanted to redevelop the area and create an outdoor space which encouraged learning and discovery.

Why did Radcliffe choose Playforce over other companies?
Playforce was chosen due to our ability to listen and clearly understand their brief, ensuring their finished play area delivered exactly what they needed.

Perfect! The design met all our specifications and the installation was trouble free. Very pleased.

How did you design the play area for Radcliffe Hall in order to help pupils learn outdoors?
Radcliffe Hall was designed around the 7 keys areas of learning, allowing the children to develop their learning outside.

Communication and language – This was fulfilled in numerous ways, from the use of the stage for performing, to working as a team and problem solving when using the flow wall.

Physical Development – Despite being a small area, we left lots of open space to encourage exercise and the use of the thermoplastic markings.

Personal, social and emotional development – The whole space encourages team work, but also requires the children to take turns whilst playing with certain items. The Woodland Cabin and the Play Hut can also be used to maximise imaginative play.

Literacy – Mark making boards have been included in the play installation to encourage the children to write and draw, log experiment findings or even invent and display team names.

Mathematics – With the inclusion of lots of maths and number-focused thermoplastic markings we were able to make maths more practical and fun. In the terrace area, we incorporated scales and a bucket and rail to allow the children to examine mass and densities.

Understanding of the world – This is one area the project really emulates well as there are so many different elements that encourage this;from the Worm World Discovery, to the Weather Station and the large yet manageable planting area.

Expressive arts and design – The mark marking resources around the space offer numerous ways the children can get creative with painting or drawing. The stage, role play area, and garden are also great to encourage creativity.

Why did Radcliffe choose to use Playforce’s funding option?
With big plans but a limited budget, Playforce’s funding option provided an excellent opportunity for Radcliffe Hall to complete their dream play area in one go. By choosing Playforce’s finance option, Radcliffe Hall didn’t have to phase the development over a number of years as originally planned. Instead they could reduce disruption, increase the positive impact on the children immediately, and achieve better value for money by completing the project in one installation.

share!