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Chelford CE Primary School’s EYFS Free Flow Play Environment

Posted on by KR

A Seamless Transition From Inside the Classroom to the Outdoors

 

This Cheshire based school wanted to create a dedicated undercover outdoor learning environment for their Early Years Foundation Stage classes, whilst providing their little learners with a seamless transition from inside the classroom to the great outdoors.

Greg Rossiter, our expert playground consultant who is passionate about early learning, got to work designing a multi-functional space that could be fully utilised.

A Fully Waterproof Outdoor Play Space

 

As the school were determined to ensure that typical Cheshire weather wouldn’t affect the children’s outdoor learning, Greg designed an 18m x 4.5m Timber Canopy to cover the space between the two buildings.

This huge structure features polycarbonate panels to provide shelter from the rainfall and shade from the bright hot sunshine. Listening to the raindrop onto the roofing is relaxing for the children to listen to whilst sparking curiosity about the world around them.

3 children wearing red waterproof overalls stood at a water table that has been placed onto blue wetpour surfacing whilst 3 children speak to a teacher stood on the artificial grass and one child speaks to a teacher on the wetpour roadway.

As it covers the building doors, the children can go out and play no matter what the weather may bring!

To zone the space further, we surrounded the new play area with our Bow Top Timber Fencing and a gate. Teachers can choose if the children have access to the main playground by opening and closing the gate, as well as ensuring access to free flow play throughout the school day.

Timber canopy attached to the school building with bow timber fencing around it, blue wetpour surfacing, artificial grass and a roadway made out of wetpour all underneath the canopy.

Colourful and Soft Surfacing for Cross Curricular Play

 

Greg was keen to ensure that the new area would be as comfortable and engaging as possible for the children. As a result, underneath the canopy, there is a mixture of surfacing to provide a cosy area for floor based games while zoning the area.

There’s soft, vibrant Artificial Grass Surfacing, bright river blue Wetpour and even a wetpour roadway for the children to race their bikes and trikes around!

A roadway made from wetpour surfacing has been installed underneath a timber canopy next to the school building with artificial grass surrounding the roadway. There are 2 yellow toy cars on the roadway.

The staff at the school have taken learning outside by providing plenty of loose play resources in the various spaces to further engage the children in child-led and adult-led play.

The different surfacing has created a bright, aesthetically pleasing space for the children to explore and engage in cross-curricular play games outdoors. Moreover, the entire area is impact-absorbing to help minimise the risk of slips, trips and falls as the little ones run around and play.

Eight children wearing red school jumpers are playing underneath the timber canopy on the blue wetpour surfacing which has been installed next to the school building whilst one teacher supervises.

Chelford Primary School are delighted with their new outdoor play space and cannot wait to open the doors to let the children out to learn through play each and every day, even when it’s raining and pouring.

Is your school missing an undercover learning space? Contact Us Here to begin your journey with Pentagon Play today and view all of our outdoor classroom solutions.

View all of the fantastic playground development’s we’ve completed across the Cheshire area on our dedicated Cheshire Playground Projects Page Here.

A school table with three blue chairs has been placed onto blue wetpour surfacing underneath a timber canopy, with artificial grass installed behind the blue wetpour. The canopy is attached to a school building.



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