Exciting New Playground Equipment Promotes Good Behaviour and Inspires Staff at Willow Fields Community Primary School.
Cramped conditions, no playground equipment and very little to challenge mind or body, this was the playground picture at Willow Fields Community Primary School in Sunderland
Until Head Teacher Andrew Bainbridge invited Playforce, the UK’s leading provider of school playground design, to view the site.
Describing the grounds, Andrew said, “The KS1 yard had little scope for development and was subsequently turned into extra car parking, it was decided to move all children to one yard but at the time it was far too small.
The school grounds didn’t encourage any value of play, lacked motivation and were basically dull.”
School Grounds Consultant Brett Reynolds of Playforce met with Andrew, school staff and children to discuss how to put the fun back into their playtimes. Andrew explained to Brett that physical activity had been minimal, badly organised and often resulted in poor behaviour.
“Playforce posed the right questions, challenged our designs from a health and safety perspective so that we achieved a fun yet very safe timber trail, and really brought our thoughts to fruition. Brett oversaw the work through from beginning to end and made the right decisions in order to ensure we got more than what we wanted from the playground design.”
“We felt we were in safe hands”
Brett drew up a plan for a multi level timber trail for children to jump, climb, scramble, balance and swing through, designed to encourage their natural enthusiasm for play whilst developing motor and social skills. The playground has doubled in size, and featured a new basket ball court and football pitch with a kickabout wall, to ensure safe and dedicated space for all activities.
Today the playground environment is transformed, with the children taking full advantage of the new playground equipment and trying out new activities.
“Playtimes are now electric, faces are beaming…staff have reported an increase in their own motivation and have noticed huge improvements” said Andrew.
Fractious behaviour has also disappeared now that the children are properly challenged and have the space and freedom to enjoy creative, exciting playtimes.
The finishing touch was the addition of picnic tables on the terraced area and perch benching to support the teams waiting to rotate on to the sports pitches.
“Playtimes are now electric, faces are beaming…staff have reported an increase in their own motivation and have noticed huge improvements” said Andrew.
