Why did you want to develop your playground?
We wanted to add more choice for our children, as they had identified that there weren’t enough large pieces of equipment for each class to have a turn on each week. We believe it is important for children to be able to take risks when playing and to challenge themselves, so this was an area we wanted to develop. The pupil’s voice has a big influence in our school through our ‘house’ system and the children played a large role in choosing and designing the equipment.
What were the key elements that made Playforce stand out from other providers?
We had previously used Playforce and the follow up service has always been good, even on relatively old equipment. Our Playforce consultant worked really well with the school; he held an initial design consultation meeting with our school house captains and listened to what they wanted. Four designs were produced and these were very visual so the children could understand what the finished product would look like. With no pushing for the children to choose the most expensive, the final design was a genuine pupil choice. The build went smoothly and we now have a fantastic piece of equipment which is providing a challenge for all ages.