A New Adventure For Pupils at Lichfield Cathedral School!

The Customer

Nestled away in the south of Staffordshire, Lichfield Cathedral School has crafted a fantastic learning environment for pupils across the Lichfield area. From assisting in the development of numeracy skills to establishing healthy attitudes towards extra-curricular activities, there's numerous reasons as to why this school is so highly regarded.

Mrs Susan Hannam, Headteacher at Lichfield Cathedral School, and her outstanding team of staff are always striving to deliver the best possible environment to help their children develop key vital skills. ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) even noted how "principles and values are actively promoted which facilitate the personal development of pupils".

As the school continued to grow and attract more bright minds, Lichfield Cathedral School started thinking about how they could further improve their environment and create a school atmosphere that was unmatched. After a few internal conversations, the school decided that they wanted to introduce new and exciting playground equipment.

Meeting The Customer

Jonathan Mayne, Director of Operations at Lichfield Cathedral School, was looking online to find inspiration for how the school could revamp their playground. After scrolling through multiple sources, he came across Pentagon Play's superb Trim Trail products.

Once he laid his eyes on them, Jonathan decided to view the entire range and discover more about what this range could provide to the school. Visiting our website, Jonathan found himself amazed by the innovative and creative designs offered by our company.

Confident that Pentagon Play were the right company for bringing life back to the playground, Jonathan submitted an enquiry. After a short wait, Sam Jones (Outdoor Learning Consultant) was quick to respond and establish a strong channel of communication.

Throughout this stage, Jonathan was given a plethora of information and advice to help his school make the perfect choice for their playground. Impressed by the quality of customer service, Jonathan was excited to continue Lichfield's journey with Pentagon Play.

After informing Sam that the school were waiting for funds to be raised, Jonathan was interested in learning more about the costs involved with the proposed project. Fully-transparent, Sam made sure to cover each part of the project in thorough detail to help Jonathan feel confident with his choices of playground equipment.

As the PTA had finally raised the required funds for the project, Sam Jones offered our free on-site consultation and visit to understand more about the vision the school had and to help develop potential ideas and wishes. Excited by the prospect, Jonathan quickly accepted this fantastic opportunity.

Their Objectives

During the on-site visit, Jonathan wanted the new playground equipment to look impressive and eye-catching. Through this desire, the school hoped that children would find themselves more drawn into beneficial forms of play (such as active play).

As the topic of active play was brought up, the school thought that the new play equipment should provide a safe space for children to develop strength and other physical skills. By assisting in the physical development of their children, the school felt like they could effectively prepare their students for the future.

Making their way over to the surfacing, Jonathan told Sam that the school were keen to expand their play space. In addition to the expansion, the school wanted the new surfacing to enhance the appeal of the play area whilst providing an unmatched level of safety for the children.

Our Approach

Happy with all of the information and objectives collected, Sam quickly made his way back to our head office in Middlewich to work with the relevant departments on this exciting project. Regardless of what point Jonathan was at in jis journey with us, Pentagon made sure to keep him up-to-date with any developments or progress.

Most companies would stop here, believing that clear communication is all that is needed. However, at Pentagon Play, we do things a little differently. Our in-house visualisation team will create breath-taking 3D bespoke images and graphics to showcase how the finished project will look. The staff at Lichfield Cathedral School fell in love with the variety of graphics we created for them as it gave everyone a chance to visualise the exciting playground proposed.

Whilst Sam was offering in-depth support to Jonathan, our industry-leading manufacturing team got to work on locating and sourcing the highest-quality materials available on the market. From our thorough quality assurance checks to our state-of-the-art construction equipment, there's a reason why no other company can match Pentagon's quality.

Helping to bring life back to playgrounds in over 15,000 unique locations, Pentagon Play have built a 5-star reputation of being one of the UK's leading playground equipment manufacturers and designers. As time has moved onwards, our company has expanded it's services to become the one-stop shop for all your playground needs. Whether you need a RPII-accredited playground inspection or some exciting early years furniture, Pentagon Play has everything your setting needs.

Artificial Grass

Looking to add a sense of nature and vibrance to their play area, Lichfield Cathedral School chose one of our most popular surfacing options: Pentagon's Playturf Artificial Grass. Realising how well it would compliment the beautiful surroundings within the school, Jonathan felt confident that this surface was the perfect choice.

Not only does Playturf bring a fresh breath of life to any area it's installed in, but Pentagon Play can also install our state-of-the-art Play Basework underneath. Stopping weeds from growing through the surface and draining water effectively, this basework ensures that your surface stays in tip-top condition.

Passing FIFA's rigorous durability tests, schools like Lichfield Cathedral School can rest easy knowing that their new artificial grass surface has been built to withstand heavy foot traffic and poor weather conditions.

In addition to the durability, we can also install our industry-recognised Shockpad Tiles under the surface. These tiles are the perfect addition for any artificial grass playgrounds with tall playground equipment, as the shockpads can massively reduce the risk of serious injuries.

After seeing the final result, the school were hugely impressed by the instant impact it had on the atmosphere on the playground. From creating a more lively atmosphere to providing a safe space for children to fully engage in adventure play, Pentagon's Artificial Grass was a huge hit.

Bespoke Trim Trail

Creating a sense of adventure on your playground can be a difficult task, but Lichfield were lucky enough to discover our nationally-acclaimed Trim Trail range! Featuring over 45 unique pieces of active play equipment, schools can create truly bespoke and unique trim trails for any purpose.

Working with Sam, Lichfield decided to select the following pieces of trim trail equipment for their playground:

By incorporating all of these exciting and engaging pieces of play equipment, the school was able to create an imaginative trim trail which helps children develop all of their core physical skills. Through this effective targeting of physical development, Lichfield can be rest assured that their playground is benefitting their children both physically and mentally.

Trim trails also provide children with an effective way to engage in active play and fully immerse themselves within beneficial play. As children find themselves immersed in trim trails, they'll find it easier to escape into their imaginations and engage in role play, promoting the development of social and communication skills.

Having such an exciting range of active play equipment on their playground. Lichfield are able to not only retain their pupils' interests, but it also allows them to attract potential new pupils by offering them a one-of-a-kind play experience.

Bowfell Climber

Having a unique shape and look, there's a reason why so many schools claim that the Bowfell Climber is a must-need for any playground looking to pique children's interests and encourage them to explore the area.

This amazing climbing frame is an excellent resource for building children's climbing confidence and developing their skills to help them overcome new and exciting physical challenges. The school loved the aspect of the Bowfell Climber as they felt that it would provide children a truly unique challenge to overcome.

Another interesting part of the Bowfell Climber is how versatile it is! Not only can children use it to improve their climbing skills, but they can also crawl underneath it and use it as a resource for den building and escape into the world of imaginative play.

Once the Bowfell Climber was installed, Lichfield were blown away by it's impressive size and structure. Jonathan felt confident that this piece of play equipment would help the students of the school engage in active play in a more effective way.

Bespoke Gazebo

Wanting to create an area where children could have the opportunity to learn outdoors, the school decided that they wanted to introduce a 5M School Gazebo with Decked Base. Accomodating up to 30 children, this waterproof outdoor classroom is the perfect addition to any outdoor learning environment.

Constructed from high pressure treated timber and bitumen roof shingles, our gazebos are built to last for years to come. Not only are they able to withstand heavy usage, but these sturdy structures are able to handle poor weather conditions without showing any signs of wear and tear.

Lichfield wanted to make their gazebo even more bespoke and versatile by including five installed benches inside it and five sides of picket fencing around it. These simple additions can take outdoor classrooms to the next level and provide a unique environment for lessons.

Schools don't just have to use these structures as outdoor classrooms either. Lichfield Cathedral School thought that the outdoor structure would make an excellent space for a breakout area for children who need a bit of quiet time and reflection.

The Results

After a few months had passed by, Sam reached out to Lichfield Cathedral School to see if they would be happy with a small team from Pentagon Play coming to visit. Being given the greenlight, our team made their way to the school to discover how our playground equipment had transformed another play area.

Arriving at the school, the team were greeted by Jonathan and members of staff. Throughout the entire time of being at the school, Lichfield's staff were exceptional. Friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, they made our team feel right at home.

Standing on the playground, the staff at Lichfield told us how much of a positive impact the new active play equipment had on the children. Not only was there more children engaging in this form of beneficial play, but the teachers felt like the pupils' behaviour had massively improved.

Walking around, we saw a large group of children tackling the school's bespoke trim trail. With so many unique challenges offered, it was no surprise why so many children were playing on it. Some members of staff told us how the trim trail had become a staple mark of playtime, with the majority of children heading over to it.

Standing on the artificial grass, we were told how the new surfacing had helped the play area feel more open and natural, creating a new atmosphere for the children. Not only did the new surface make expanding the play area a breeze, but the staff had noticed how the play area was always in a great condition (regardless of the weather).

Finally, we focused on the Bowfell Climber. Staff told our team how the climbing frame has helped a variety of children build their climbing confidence and provide the first step in their physical development journey.

We are over the moon to hear the massive impact Pentagon Play's equipment has had on Lichfield Cathedral school. From everyone here at our company, we wish the absolute best for this amazing school and hope they carry on inspiring and educating our future generations.