St Winifred’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Stockport, part of the Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, wanted to create an outdoor play space that would inspire pupils to stay active while enjoying adventurous play. With pupils across Key Stage One and Key Stage Two regularly using the playground, the school was keen to introduce equipment that would encourage movement, exploration and confidence building during break times.
Working with Outdoor Learning Consultant Tom Hollingworth, the school explored ways to transform their outdoor area into a more engaging environment for physical play. As a returning Pentagon Play customer, the team at St Winifred’s were already familiar with the benefits of high quality playground equipment and wanted to build on their previous investment.
After discussing different options, the Winterfold Forest Climber quickly stood out as the ideal centrepiece for the playground. Designed to promote climbing, balancing and adventurous movement, the structure provides a fun challenge for pupils while helping them develop coordination, strength and confidence.
To complement the climber, artificial grass surfacing was selected to create a safe and comfortable area for play. Funding support from the ASDA and Tesco community schemes helped the school bring the project to life, allowing them to invest in a play space where pupils could enjoy active outdoor play in a safe and welcoming environment.
Project Challenges and Design Considerations
When planning the new play area, one of the main priorities was introducing equipment that would appeal to pupils across both Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. The playground needed something exciting and physically engaging that would encourage children to climb, explore and stay active during break times, while still being safe and accessible for a wide range of ages.
During his visit to the school, Tom worked closely with Headteacher Alicia Duffy to understand how the space was currently being used and how it could be improved. Together, +they explored how a single standout structure could transform the playground and provide pupils with more opportunities for adventurous play.
The Winterfold Forest Climber was selected because of its ability to promote a variety of movement based activities within one structure. Its design encourages climbing, balancing and problem solving, allowing children to navigate the equipment in different ways while building confidence and coordination.
Safety surfacing was also an important part of the design. Artificial grass was chosen to surround the climber, creating a softer, more natural looking surface that would complement the equipment while providing a comfortable area for pupils to play and gather around the structure.
Design and Installation Process
With the design agreed, the project moved smoothly into the planning stage. Tom continued working closely with Alicia Duffy and the team at St Winifred’s to ensure the new play area would fit naturally within the existing playground while delivering the exciting active play opportunities the school had envisioned.
To help bring the proposal to life, our in house visualisation department created a series of detailed 3D visualisations for the school. These visuals allowed Alicia and her team to clearly picture how the Winterfold Forest Climber and artificial grass surfacing would look once installed. Seeing the finished design before work began gave the school real confidence in the project, and the visualisations were extremely well received by staff who loved being able to see the future play space take shape.
Behind the scenes, Pentagon Play’s teams carefully coordinated the equipment delivery and installation. Once work began, the transformation quickly became visible, with the Winterfold Forest Climber installed as the centrepiece of the play area and artificial grass surfacing laid around it to create a safe and welcoming environment for pupils to explore.
The Impact on Pupils and Staff
Thanks to support from the ASDA and Tesco community funding schemes, the school was able to introduce the Winterfold Forest Climber and new artificial grass surfacing to the playground. These additions have created a space where pupils can challenge themselves physically while enjoying time outdoors with their friends. The structure encourages climbing, balancing and exploration, helping promote healthy and energetic play throughout the school day.
For pupils across Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, the structure provides a fun challenge that supports coordination, strength and problem solving. Children can navigate the climber in different ways, creating their own routes and games while naturally developing important movement skills through play.
The artificial grass surfacing surrounding the climber also helped create a welcoming space where pupils could gather, socialise and relax between activities. For staff, the refreshed play area provides a safe and engaging environment that encourages active play while supporting the school’s commitment to promoting healthy and energetic break times for their pupils.
The Winterfold Forest Climber
At the centre of the play space sits the Winterfold Forest Climber, a dynamic climbing structure designed to encourage adventurous and active play. Crafted from durable timber and reinforced ropes, the circuit introduces a variety of climbing and balancing challenges that allow pupils to build strength, coordination and confidence as they explore the equipment at their own pace.
The multi level design encourages children to create their own routes across the structure, supporting safe risk taking and problem solving while keeping play exciting and varied. From traversing ropes to carefully balancing across obstacles, the climber provides a full body challenge that keeps pupils engaged while helping develop important physical skills.
Staff at St Winifred’s were amazed by how quickly the climber became a focal point of the playground. Children were immediately drawn to the structure, eager to test their abilities and invent new games with their friends. For the school, the Winterfold Forest Climber has become far more than just a piece of equipment. It is now a hub for active play, adventure and confidence building throughout the school day.
A Lasting Investment in Active Play
Working with St Winifred’s Roman Catholic Primary School has been a wonderful opportunity to help create an outdoor space that truly encourages pupils to stay active and engaged. From the initial conversations with Alicia Duffy through to the final installation, the shared goal was to introduce equipment that would inspire movement, adventure and confidence during everyday play.
With support from the ASDA and Tesco community funding schemes, the addition of the Winterfold Forest Climber and artificial grass surfacing has transformed the playground into a space where pupils can challenge themselves physically while enjoying time outdoors with their friends. By providing a structure that supports climbing, balancing and exploration, the school now has an environment that promotes healthy activity while keeping play exciting and rewarding.
As a returning Pentagon Play customer, it has been fantastic to support St Winifred’s once again and help build upon their existing outdoor provision. We hope the pupils continue to enjoy their new play space for many years to come, discovering new routes, creating new games and developing confidence through active play every day!
