St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Derby

St. Joseph’s Outdoor Teaching Area

For any school, the utilisation of space is of paramount importance.  The last thing you want to have to do is declare an area out of bounds, thus reducing your often limited space even further.  St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Derby had this issue with an area of grass adjacent to the school its poor drainage and uneven level had left the grass boggy and unsightly, and all the pupils could hope to get from it was muddy legs.

Following a consultation with ourselves, though, they found a new hope for the area and we got to work.  After digging the area out and installing a stone base to solve the drainage and levelling issue, we clad the surface in artificial grass, thus ensuring that the space could be used all year round without fear of damaging the ground during wetter seasons.  Sheltering this area, we built them a large timber pergola roofed with green mesh, and fenced it with trellis and timber bow top fencing to allow for a controlled environment.  Beneath the pergola we surrounded the perimeter on three sides with timber bench seats and planters, thus creating an outdoor classroom suitable for all age groups.

And just to save any more unsightly downtrodden ground leading to the area, we laid a tarmac pathway.  From muddy grass to outdoor classes; a wonderful upgrade for St. Joseph’s playground.