When a Westbourne Primary School in Bradford needed help with its tired, outdated early years play provision, playground specialists ESP Play stepped in to complete a remarkable turnaround.
The outdoor space for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) children was in need of serious cosmetic improvement and lacked the facilities pupils needed to be able to enjoy learning from play. The existing space didn’t offer suitable progression between the indoor and outdoor provision and the majority of activities needed to be teacher-led. The lack of opportunity for children to initiate their own play was a concern. Last summer, Burnley-based ESP was asked to design and install a new playground area that was more inviting, stimulating and engaging. Work began by installing new surfacing to the playground. This involved a variety of different surfaces, used to define the different play zones.
These included block paving, resin-bound gravel and artificial grass, some of which included playground markings, such as a ‘roadway’. The team at ESP then built a water-play feature and a raised, ‘messy’ play area.The playground design included several pieces of climbing equipment, including an underground tunnel with an artificially grassed mound, log stairs, twisty challenges and a large, centrepiece tangled climbing frame. The finished design transformed the outdoor space for Westbourne’s pupils, providing more open areas for play that were both safe and inviting for children to play on. Carefully created zones meant space could be used more effectively and safely while providing a much wider range of age-appropriate activities for children to participate in.
