Top Playground Equipment for Castleton School
Playtime fun has quite literally moved up a level for the children of a small village school on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors.
Members of Castleton School, North Yorkshire decided a healthy investment would be to cut turf-covered terraces into the steep land behind the building and invite one of the country's leading playground equipment providers to create a body and mind-stretching timber trail on the top terrace.
The result is a square-shaped arrangement of challenging timber trail obstacles with stunning views across the Esk Valley and surrounding moors.
"It's fantastic," said the school's head teacher, Carol Wilson. "At Castleton we encourage healthy exercise, challenge and co-operation. The timber trail provides the perfect platform to achieve this."
Mrs Wilson explained that Wilshire-based Playforce was invited to design the outdoor playground not just for the quality of the playground equipment but also because it is an award-winning company that prides itself on the ability to create outdoor play equipment areas that stimulate children's imaginations and improve social behaviour at the same time as stretching their muscles.
Castleton is a very small school with just 33 children on the register which meant when it came to deciding how best to use the terrace staff, governors, pupils and parents could all be included.
"The aim of the school is to encourage the development of lively enquiring minds, independence and self-discipline, to foster a sense of responsibility and encourage perseverance, which will lead to personal fulfilment. We feel Playforce playground equipment goes a long way to helping us achieve this."
She added that the new childrens school play equipment, which includes a hanging rope traverse, a Burma bridge, a balance weaver and a rock and roll log, has also inspired numerous role-play games, for example using the log as a hog roast.
