Oakleigh School, London
What did the school want to achieve?
Oakleigh School in London wanted to develop an area of their playground to include a range of different markings, to support children to develop and extend learning opportunities through a motivating resource. They wanted to brighten up the area and encourage staff to engage children in a wider variety of physical games and activities. That’s when Assistant Head, Emily, first got in touch with us to see how we could help.
How did we help them achieve their desired outcome? Were there any problems, and how did we overcome them?
Meeting Emily on one of our virtual site surveys, we were able to discuss exactly what markings the school were interested in, and decide where they should be positioned in the playground. We used an aerial image of the school playground, taken from Google Earth, and then scaled and placed the designs on top, so Emily could see exactly what it would look like.
In the end, the school decided to go for a Caterpillar 1-20, Phase 1 Phonics Train, A-Z Snake, 24-Hour Clock, Target 1-20 with Throw Lines, 4-Way Hopscotch, A-Z Shapes, Rocket Hopscotch and a Custom Roadway. All of these games are designed to encourage active play and learning so were brilliant for meeting the school’s requirements.
The school had one area of their playground which was not a simple shape, but our design team were able to position the markings in a way that would accommodate this, and our installers had no problem fitting the design.
Emily also had an idea for one of the rocket hopscotches which we were able to assist with. As they were having two rocket hopscotches numbered 1-10, we customised one of them so that it was numbered 11-20 so the children could continue counting instead of starting again.
Our comments on the finished playground
It was a pleasure working with Oakleigh School on their playground project, and we were delighted to have been able to help them achieve their goals. With our mission being to make outdoor learning fun and keep children active, it was great to be able to help more pupils enjoy their school break times, as well as provide them with some very eye-catching markings that they can use during lesson time too!
Testimonial from the school
“Connor and the team were so easy to work with. They listened to what I was trying to achieve and gave lots of helpful ideas and contributions. They were extremely efficient, the planning process was all completed virtually using Google Maps (so helpful). They sent me designs promptly and were happy to make tweaks following this. The whole process was pleasant, effective and easy to complete. The on-site installers were pleasant and professional to work with.”
– E. Wharton, Assistant Head
