Key Points
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Project Overview
With both settings be ran by the incredible Quest Academy Trust, St Peter's CofE Primary School and Hindley Green Community Primary School have both earned a fantastic reputation with the people of Wigan.
From delivering an outstanding level of education to establishing a learning environment unlike any other, both Wigan-based schools are constantly striving for new ways on how to ensure that their schools remain to stand out from the crowd.
In 2024, the Department for Education announced that schools across England could apply for the School-based Nursery Grant, a funding scheme designed to help primary-phase schools establish a school-based nursery (or further improve a pre-existing one).
With Hindley Green Primary having a pre-existing school-based nursery (ran by Play Pals) and St Peter's Primary needing a school-based nursery, the Quest Academy Trust decided to apply for the SBN Grant to help in their efforts of providing a great level of childcare for the children of Wigan.
During the application process of phase 1, Kate Eastwood (Quest Academy Trust's Director of EYFS) started looking into companies that could help both of the schools establish the perfect school-based nursery. Quickly, she came across the Pentagon Play website and their wide range of EYFS products.
After browsing through the endless amount of high-quality and cost-effective nursery provision solutions, Kate decided to give our office a call. Quickly, she was put in contact with Tom Hollingworth (one of our fantastic Outdoor Learning Consultants) and they both got to work on developing a detailed plan of attack!
The Challenge
During their time on the phone, Tom and Kate quickly built a strong relationship with each other: with Tom recognising Kate's determination to create the ultimate school-based nursery environment, and Kate recognising Tom's expertise within the nursery industry.
As Kate explained the project, Tom quickly took notes and highlighted a few potential challenges that could be encountered. The main challenge was ensuring that the two new playgrounds would meet the guidelines laid out by the Department of Education, ensuring that the trust wouldn't get into any complications or trouble due to misuse of the grant.
Secondly, Tom had to ensure that both projects could be carried out in a timely manner. Due to the time restriction placed on the schools who were successful for the grant, Tom only had around 6 months to deliver the complete transformation of not just one playground, but two!
The final hurdle that had to be overcome was planning the removal of the previous playground surfacing. Both settings were really keen on transforming their nursery play areas by introducing bright and colourful safety surfacing to replace the dull tarmac. By effectively planning, Tom could ensure that the project could be delivered in an efficient manner.
The Process
With a detailed quote and a state-of-the-art visualisation created for both schools, Kate submitted her application. After months of waiting, the school received the great news that they were successful and could start both of their school-based nursery projects.
Hearing the great news, Tom was over-the-moon for the Quest Trust Academy and got straight to work on organising the project. Throughout the entire project, Tom remained in close contact with Kate, ensuring that she, and the school, were updated on any new developments or progress on the project.
Whilst Kate was receiving expert advice and guidance from Tom, our in-house visualisation team kept producing their industry famous 3D computer-generated images. Not only did these images prove to be a useful addition for Quest Trust's application for SBN funding, but they also allowed local stakeholders and governing bodies to understand what the vision was for both of the schools and their nursery provisions.
Unlike many other companies within the industry, Pentagon Play's surfacing and play equipment is made in the UK, in our fantastic manufacturing department. Our manufacturing process only sources the highest-quality materials and uses state-of-the-art equipment to ensure that our products are both sustainable and durable.
Working around the clock, Tom was able to have everything ready to be delivered and installed by our incredible installers. Knowing that these projects were time-sensitive, our team got straight to work on helping both St Peter's & Hindley Green Primary School establish their new EYFS play areas.
The Results
With all of the equipment and surfacing being installed and delivered on time, Kate was blown away by the speed and efficiency of the Pentagon Play team! Not only that, but Kate felt like the quality of the surfacing and equipment was outstanding, believing that it would last for years before any repairs were to even be considered.
Noticing her great mood, Tom asked if Kate would be interested in both St Peter's & Hindley Green Primary School having a joint case study based on the project, which would showcase the incredible changes that the school-based nursery grant could have on a school. Getting the greenlight, Sarah Roberts (Pentagon's Social Media Specialist) and Jacey Roberts (Pentagon's Head of Marketing) decided to visit both of the schools.
St Peter's Church of England Primary School
Arriving at the first site, our team got straight to work in locating the new nursery playground. Talking to the staff, we quickly gathered how the new nursery provision was preforming and how the new nursery playground had massively helped with motor development amongst their children.
Once we reached the playground, it was clear to see what an impact the new play area had on the environment. The thermoplastic road design surrounded by green artificial grass established a sense of vibrance and imagination across the entire outdoor setting. In total, over 165m² of safety surfacing was installed, bringing a new sense of life to the area. The surfacing included:
Located on the artificial grass, our team could quickly see groups of children engaging with their brand new set of Get Set Go Blocks (the Brecon Beacons). Promoting the development of a variety of key EYFS skills, the staff felt like the Get Set Go Blocks were the perfect addition for their outdoor setting, allowing children to not only have fun, but improve their bodies and mind in an engaging way.
Speaking more to the staff, it was clear to see how the new nursery playground had helped the school attract even more parents to their school, as the new EYFS playground provided a unique selling point for the school-based nursery. Due to this, the school noticed a huge increase in interest from local parents and the nursery was able to help with the local childcare demand in Wigan.
Hindley Green Primary School
Heading over to the other school, our team was greeted by Kate and Nicola Crank (the area manager of Play Pals), who were excited to showcase the improved nursery environment at Hindley Green Primary. Walking through the school, the pair explained to our team how the new surfacing had helped the children engage more in activities during playtime, helping the little ones develop their social and communication skills.
Arriving at the playground, we were yet blown away by the complete transformation that had occurred. As the school had pre-existing playground equipment, they wanted to solely focus on the surfacing, hoping that by adding a vibrant and safe surfacing to the area, it would completely transform the vibe of the area: and their hopes were right!
Featuring over 177m² of Playturf Artificial Grass (in mainly green with red and blue blobs scattered around), the new EYFS play area felt a lot more natural and free-flowing. Not only this, but the introduction of impact-absorbing artificial grass meant that children could engage in play with a massively reduced chance of significant injuries occurring (promoting risk play).
Speaking to both Kate and Nicola, the pair explained how the new space had provided more room for children to explore and play in, removing the feeling of restriction. Alongside this, the playground surfacing had allowed teachers to more effectively zone the playground, allowing for children to engage in activities that developed certain skills and behaviours.
Reflection
Working with both St Peter's Church of England and Hindley Green Primary School has been an absolute pleasure for us. From start to finish, Quest Trust has been providing our team with exciting ideas on how they can transform their EYFS spaces across two schools, and we've loved the challenge presented by it!
Even though the job was mainly focused on installing safety surfacing on both school playgrounds, it provided us a chance to understand more about the requirements laid out by the Department of Education and how we can help schools create the ultimate school-based nursery playground.
However, Quest Trust's journey with Pentagon Play doesn't end here! Just like all of our customers, both schools will have constant access to our incredible aftercare service, which will provide help and advice for common questions and/or problems.
Not only that, but both schools can ensure that their playgrounds remain a safe space by making use of our RPII-accredited Playground Inspection and Maintenance service. Utilising this service ensures that playgrounds remain safe and compliant with the relevant safety codes laid out by the Government.
From everyone here at Pentagon Play, we wish the absolute best to both school-based nurseries and hope that they both continue to achieve their objective of delivering an outstanding level of childcare in the Wigan area.
