The Brief: To develop a multi activity area that can be accessible and functional all year round and become an asset to the school. The installation should be accessible for playtime, curriculum and out of hours activities.

Harry Armitage, Headteacher says:“The impetus for the new playground came from the children themselves, through our schools council. They have really taken on board our healthy living initiative and came to me with lots of ideas. They also helped make it happen by raising funds towards the cost.”

The project brief was to:

• Install fitness trails
• Develop a stage area
• Provide plenty of “active” equipment to meet the differing needs of each age group

The Proposal: Following a tender process, Outdoor & Play were selected to develop the playground. Harry Armitage, Headteacher at Halfpenny Lane School explains why:

“I was impressed with Outdoor & Play from the very beginning. They provided a personal service with many helpful suggestions, were willing to try new ideas and gave constructive advice. On top of that, their proposal was excellent value.”

Lynne Roberts of Outdoor & Play outlines the thinking behind their designs: “The playground was very exposed and windy with no real facilities, just grass and tarmac. In our design we created areas of shelter and protection from crosswinds, to make the playtime experience more pleasant for both the children and the teaching staff at Halfpenny Lane.”

The Job: The first phase of Outdoor & Play’s proposal was given the go-ahead in June and as the work progressed further phases were approved for development. Work was completed in August 2007.

The area is split into four distinct areas:

• A sheltered area for seating & performances. This also doubles up as a waiting area for parents and helps meet the requirements of the schools travel plan
• A planting area and vegetable garden making use of existing trees and the brick wall
• An activity area with “pull up” bars and retained soft surface. This included a traversing wall, play boat, three teepees, talk tubes and roll-over bars
• A versatile seating area which doubles as an outdoor classroom with “wind break” fencing.

Halfpenny Lane Primary School was delighted with the final result and Headteacher Harry Armitage said:

“Outdoor & Play have provided a really first class service for us. Nothing was too much trouble. This playground has made a real difference to playtimes. Our children are very active, there are fewer injuries and incidents and it has really helped to promote positive play. And the older pupils have really taken to their new roles of helping and monitoring the younger ones.”//Harry Armitage – Headteacher