Corbets Tey School’s Playground Development
Corbets Tey School in Havering were determined to create a visually appealing playground that would inspire a wide range of play activities.
Our playground consultant, Luke Banner, was delighted to work alongside the passionate school to help them achieve a dream play space for their pupils.
Before the Builders Arrived
Beforehand, the playground was a very bare and concrete space with worn down equipment that the students attending the school couldn’t access safely because of their physical and coordination difficulties.
Speaking to the pupils and teaching staff, Luke designed an exceptional outdoor play space that is an extension of the school in continuing to offer learning opportunities during playtimes, featuring practical spaces for outdoor lessons and protection against the inclement weather.
“When looking for a company to take on this playground project, Pentagon Play appeared offer something different and more imaginative than other playground companies. When Luke visited our school, he had some really great ideas and he listened to and incorporated all of our ideas. He also made some really good suggestions which really enhanced the design but with a keen eye on our budget.” – Susan Cumbers, Enterprise and Technology Lead at Corbets Tey School
Bespoke Shelters for Learning and Play
In the centre of the playground, we crafted three 4m x 4m shelters to ensure they would fully suit the needs of the school.
Each of the three structures feature watertight roofs, low level fencing and gates to enclose the area.
Inside of the shelters, we installed our tactile Artificial Grass Surfacing to create a comfortable space for the students to sit and play within, whilst providing sensory experiences outdoors.
The school have even included tables and chairs, bean bags and other loose play resources inside each of the spaces to create comfortable social spaces outdoors.
Underneath the shelters are ideal spaces for group activities during playtime, learning interventions or even as a space for the pupils to relax and unwind away from the busy playground.
Feeding back, the school have mentioned how popular the new shelters are for a range of learning activities and that they are more than happy the resources can be kept in the structures to be used when needed rather than having to be brought back indoors after every play session!
Visually Appealing Creative Play Areas
When speaking to the pupils about what they like doing in their playground, there was an overwhelming response about how much the students loved riding their bikes, scooters, and trikes around the space.
With this in mind, Luke designed a huge roadway from carefully selected Thermoplastic Playground Markings.
The new track twists and turns around the shelters to create a dedicated vehicle pathway.
Featuring give way road markings at each turning, pedestrian crossings and ‘stop, look and listen’ reminders between the shelters, the track has a realistic looking design that integrates with road safety learning.
Every time the pupils leave or enter the shelters, they are reminded to stop, look, and listen for vehicles racing around the track.
This is a fantastic way to practice their road safety skills within a safe environment.
Participating in adrenaline-fueled races around the track has provided the pupils with an area where they can burn off some excess energy, improve their cardiovascular fitness and lower body strength during playtimes.
The pupils are delighted that they have gotten exactly what they asked for when they were consulted about the playground development!
“What do you think of the new playground?”
“The playgrounds have been amazing for the pupils. The pupils have enjoyed riding their bikes around the track, they have loved using the Zebra crossing to practice crossing the road when others are on the bike.
"The shelters have been a great resource, especially for outdoor learning. With the addition of bean bags, the shelters are a great environment for the pupils to relax."
"Since the change to the playground, the pupils have been more likely to choose this as an option on golden time proving it’s a real hit among the pupils” - Teacher of KS3 Class
The new playground has helped change the way the students play and interact with the surroundings and one another, whilst providing plenty of outdoor activities for them to choose from.
Are you looking to improve your school playground and create an extraordinary play space for both playtime activities and outdoor lessons? Contact Us Today to begin your journey with Pentagon Play.
Alternatively, you can view all of our exceptional playground projects completed for schools across the Havering area on our dedicated Havering Projects Page Here.
