Mornington Primary School

“The main reasons we chose to work with EPE was the overall cost and their products were ideal for our needs. We were very happy with the overall installation service. 9/10 – Very Good” Karen Ratcliffe – Office Manager

Why was the area redeveloped?
More activities were required for the older children in school.

How we transformed the play area to provide outdoor learning opportunities for the children:
Being positioned at the back of the KS1 Play Area meant that the unit installed would have to be able to accommodate many children at one time. Our Greystoke Multi-Level Activity Tower was chosen by the school and is definitely up for the challenge. The installation was slightly trickier than usual as behind the sports wall was a very uneven slope. The team got their surveying hats on to find the most level and suitable spot to install the Greystoke and after some slight level adjustments to the ground the Tower was built. Our surfacing team followed to make sure the right thickness of surfacing was laid below relevant to the Free Height of Fall for the Greystoke. A green and blue ‘island’ design was used within the surfacing to provide a few more imaginative opportunities for the children using the Tower.

In the Early Years Play Area our team showed their creative side by turning a bank into a fun and active slide area. The children being as inquisitive as they are were scaling the naturally formed bank which was proving to be slightly more than an acceptable play risk, we made sure to change that! After removing all the overgrown foliage, steps were added up the bank and then a slide to descend back to the playground. The top pathway was coated with bark chippings to give a natural feel which blends in with the surroundings. A timber guardrail was added across the top pathway and Softmulch laid beneath the slide to make sure this area was now safe for any of the children to use over and over again whilst still providing the excitement of scaling the steep bank.

How the children will benefit from the new play area:
The Greystoke Multi-Level Activity Tower is a very versatile unit and with that brings many different play opportunities to the area. The Slide Tower provides a more gentle way of playing for the children who are building up the courage to tackle the other, more challenging side of the unit. The slide offers the age old playground thrill of being rewarded for the climb up to the summit with an exciting descent. The Overhead Bars link will help to develop upper body strength and hand, eye co-ordination as this is essential to make it across. The Play Frame side of the unit provides climbing, balancing and traversing activities to test the children’s physical abilities. Every activity on the Greystoke is designed to promote active play and improve the children’s overall fitness and wellbeing.

The new Early Years Bank Slide provides a safe and secure new zone for the younger children to challenge themselves to climb to the top and slide back down. Its endless cycle means the children will improve their physical activity by repetitive use. As we witnessed first-hand on the site, co-operative and social skills could also be improved as the children help each other up the stairs and discuss which order they will slide down from the top.