The Benefits of a Pentagon Play Term Time Playground Installation

Is your new playground installation confined to the school holidays? You could be missing out!

When schools first approach us to enquire about a playground redevelopment, they usually ask "if we can install during the school holidays to avoid interruptions to the school day".

Although this is never an issue for us, the summer holidays are a particularly busy time for our installation team: spaces fill up fast because many schools want their playground to be ready for the start of the new academic year.

However at Pentagon Play, we like to do things a bit differently to the rest. And because of they way we approach our work, in almost all cases, term-time is the very best time for one of our installations. Sounds curious? Let us explain….

If we install your playground during term-time, it’s our priority to make the process special, educational and fun for your pupils. We are experts in outdoor learning and play. We have designed a series of free Toolbox Training Workshops available for children of all ages to join in whilst we are on site. 

We love hosting Toolbox Training and they are always incredibly popular with the children:

• We invite teachers to bring a class of children on site to have a closer look at what’s going on and what’s involved with the build. 
• Children can see all the different tools that we use and learn first-hand about the design, engineering, machinery, materials, construction and physical work that goes into creating their playground. The excavators are always a hit! 
• We invite children to ask any questions they might have about their new playground and about the installation itself. With over 20 years of experience working in schools and around children, our team of installers are friendly and knowledgeable and are always ready to answer any questions that are thrown at them!
• We set up a workstation, either outdoors or in the classroom, and invite the children to become builders for the day. We make basic constructions with the children. This is a fully supervised activity using simple tools, but the idea is that they can enjoy building for themselves. 

We recently held a Toolbox Training Workshop at Propps Hall Infant and Junior School in Oldham, Manchester. The children had some brilliant questions for us and they were delighted with their bird boxes!

“The installers have been fantastic on site. They have been really friendly and the children have enjoyed seeing a piece of work develop. It shows what is actually involved in creating something like this, rather than just turning up to see a finished product…. For us it’s a process. Whatever you do you go through steps and stages, right from the starting point to the end point. And the children have learned a lot…. they have loved playing out and watching what is going on…. and there has been absolutely no disruption at all to the school day....”

- Mrs G. Kay, Headteacher at Propps Hall Infant and Junior School.

Watching the Progress of a Project

One of the main benefits of a Pentagon Play term-time installation is the opportunity to demonstrate a real-life project coming together. By involving children in the process, not only do they learn a bit about the world of construction and engineering, they learn that good things don’t just magically appear!

They get to see for themselves just how much hard work goes into projects such as this and how that hard work pays off - it’s a valuable life lesson.

Once the project is complete, we find that the children really value, appreciate and enjoy their playground even more as they have been involved with its progress each day, from start through to completion.

For children who enjoy construction toys and activities that involve creating and building, a term-time installation really takes things to the next level!

We are equipped to install our playgrounds all throughout the year, so you can choose a time that works well for you. If your children need a little encouragement to get outside in the colder winter months, then a term-time installation could be a particularly good option for you!

If you are still unsure, we would like to reassure you that a Pentagon Play term-time installation is never disruptive or intrusive:

• We always keep noise levels to an absolute minimum.
• Our installations are safe and secure, cordoned off from the rest of the school in the smallest space possible. 
• Our installation team stay within their designated space throughout the day, so your school day can run as normal. There is no reason for any of our installers to enter the school building - unless it’s for one of our exciting workshops! 
• Whatever materials we use, we always make sure that they are delivered early and well before the school day starts. We arrange delivery and collection ourselves and take materials straight to our designated, secure space.
• All of our projects are fully insured and risk assessed including our Toolbox Training Workshops. Our installation team are all background checked and approved for working with children and you don’t have to worry about the extra paperwork.

If you would like to talk to us about a term-time playground installation and to arrange a Toolbox Training Workshop free of charge at your school, please do not hesitate to give us a call! We’d love to hear from you.

We offer a free, expert, no-obligation consultation service, for any school or nursery wishing to develop their playground for outdoor learning, play and sport. You can view some of our previous fantastic projects here.