Firfield Primary School, East Midlands
What did the school want to achieve?
Firfield Primary School, in Derby, first got in touch with us after their existing playground markings had started to deteriorate. Their pupils were no longer using them frequently so they knew they had to develop their play area in order to encourage more physical activity.
The school’s PTA had raised funds in order to contribute to increasing the children’s access to activities to support healthy lifestyles. They then coupled this with matched funding and the government’s Sport Premium.
They wanted a plan that would encourage their children to be physically active by incorporating a fitness circuit, daily mile and opportunities for other active areas. They also wanted to support the wide range of sports that they offer through court markings.
Another goal the school had was to reinforce learning numbers, phonics and other general skills such as cooperation, games skills and teamwork.
How did we help them achieve their desired outcome? Were there any problems, and how did we overcome them?
Our design team created a scaled plan to include different markings to suit the site and the school’s needs. A range of different designs and games were used, including a custom friendship zone to help with promoting teamwork. For reinforcing learning, an A-Z Caterpillar was used, along with 24-Hour Clock, Phonics Pond, 0-20 Dragon, 8-Point Compass and Number Grid.
Two multi-courts were installed to include Football, Tennis, Basketball and Netball, and a Deluxe Fun & Active Trail, Active Spot Circuit and a Mile a Day with an eye-catching rainbow line were used to further encourage improvement of fitness.
Other fun games were used including a Chess Board, 1-25 Target, Snakes & Ladders, Mirror Me, Roadway and a 4-Way Twin Hopscotch.
We made sure to install the games in sections so that the school day could run as normal and that there was minimal disruption to break times and lunch times. We also discussed the installation of the markings as we went along to ensure the school were happy with the final result.
Our comments on the finished playground
Firfield Primary School was a fabulous school to work with and we really enjoyed seeing their playground transform into an environment that is bursting with colour. Now their grounds are filled with endless opportunities for their students to burn off some energy and recharge their batteries ready to continue their lessons. There are now also plenty of opportunities to maximise students’ potential in achieving great results in the sports they play and the subjects they learn.
Testimonial from the school
“I would strongly recommend Fun and Active Playgrounds who were professional, flexible and reliable, ensuring that we, as the customer, were happy with the design, installation and finished plan every step of the way. The whole school community has commented on how fantastic the playground now looks and the children are loving using all the different areas.”
– James Yellop, Headteacher
