Over Hall Community School, Winsford

When you’ve got a lot of open space to develop it can be quite easy to get carried away in elaborate designs, but the more limitations that you have the cleverer you have to be, particularly when space is at a premium.  With this in mind, Overhall Primary School in Cheshire got in touch with us to develop their compact playground into various areas that would be enjoyed by their pupils for years to come.

We started with a natural play makeover in a disused corner of the playground, installing a timber edged area of woodchip surfacing, along with a Rustic Mud Kitchen and a rectangular planter for digging.  The low profile of these items allowed them to be installed below the windows, making good use of the space without obstructing the existing fixtures.

The children at the school really wanted a play tower, which given the space was a challenge to achieve.  In the end we were able to design a bespoke tower with a fireman’s pole, rope ladder and climb grip ramp, that would fit perfectly in front of the natural play area.  Around this we added safa mulch safety surfacing to ensure that any bumps and falls would be safely cushioned.

To ensure that the whole area was low-maintenance but still with a natural look, we replaced the remainder of the grass with our artificial grass, thus keeping natural colour in the area but with the added benefits of safety surfacing should they be needed.  On the wall in front of this we fitted an interactive water wall, and on the fencing we mounted a multi music panel, thus adding an element of musical and water play without compromising any floor space.

To complete the playground we added a colourful 1-20 number square marking onto the playground tarmac, making a fun maths teaching aid outside.

So with just a few additions and a little thought, we were able to design and install a fun new playground in an unconventional space while including all of the elements that the children and staff were looking for.