The mission statement of Our Lady of Perpetual Catholic School is ‘Learn to Love, Love to Learn’. The aim was to create an outdoor area which encouraged learning through play for both the School pupils and the Nursery children.
The Nursery try to use their outdoor area on a daily basis so it was important to create an exciting and stimulating outdoor area to encourage children to learn and develop a number of skills whilst playing and having fun.
A bespoke timber shelter and with vinyl rollers created an outdoor classroom which can also be used to store outdoor play equipment. Round tables and stools were added to the outdoor shelter to create an area for children to sit and play together. An outdoor chalkboard within the shelter enables children to share their creativity and learn outside.
A range of playground equipment was installed including the Balksbury which is a low level play unit ideal for younger children. The Balksbury play unit provides a variety of activities for children to try including Scramble Nets, Fireman’s Pole, Balance Beam and Pull up Ramp, all of which contribute to encouraging physical development and active play. Other items within the Nursery playground included a leaf bench, tracing boards and a Holey Poley Teepee for creative and imaginative play.
Older pupils in the school benefited from a Hawkley Adventure Trail and Pinner Climbaround. Being active and sport is extremely important to the school and the aim is to provide high quality experiences. The trim trail on the playground encourages active and physical play during breaktimes.
A designated outdoor learning and storytelling space was created using a Wishing Chair and a Horseshoe Bench, combined with large timber planters within the school garden area. The Wishing Chair was engraved with the mission statement of the school ‘Learn to Love, Love to Learn.
A combination of playground surfacing including bound rubber mulch, artificial grass and wet pour surfacing were used throughout.