Upton Priory School in Macclesfield, part of the Halliard Trust, is a nurturing and forward thinking setting where early years development is a real priority. The school understands how important outdoor play is for their youngest children, creating spaces that support curiosity, independence and hands on learning from the very beginning.
Having worked with Pentagon Play previously to install new surfacing in their outdoor area, the school had already taken an important first step in improving their provision. The impact of that initial project had been clear, giving staff a safer and more usable space for daily play. Naturally, the next step was to build on that foundation and introduce new features that would bring even more value to the environment.
With funding secured through the School Based Nursery Grant, the school saw a valuable opportunity to invest in their early years outdoor provision in a way that would deliver clear, long term impact. Like many schools accessing SBN funding, the focus was on making thoughtful improvements that directly support development, engagement and school readiness.
Working alongside Bursar Fiona Williams and in collaboration with Headteacher Emma Ransom and the pre school team, Outdoor Learning Consultant Joshua Perry began exploring ideas for how the space could evolve. With a short timeline to develop plans for the funding bid, the focus was on creating a design that felt impactful, achievable and perfectly suited to the needs of early years children.
Shaping the Next Step for Early Years Play
Speaking with Fiona Williams, Joshua Perry quickly understood that this project was all about building on something that was already working well. With the surfacing installed the previous year, the school now had a solid foundation in place, but the challenge was to take that next step and turn the space into a more engaging and purposeful play environment for their nursery children.
One of the main challenges was working within an uncertain budget. While funding was being secured through the School Based Nursery Grant, the exact figure had not yet been confirmed. This meant the design needed to be flexible, offering strong ideas that could be adapted depending on the final budget, without compromising the overall impact of the space.
Time was also a key factor. With a tight deadline to submit the funding bid, there was limited opportunity for lengthy planning. Joshua needed to quickly understand the school’s needs and translate them into a clear, well structured proposal that aligned with School Based Nursery funding priorities, helping the school put forward a strong and confident application.
Finally, the space itself needed to feel like a natural extension of what had already been created. Rather than starting from scratch, the challenge was to enhance the existing area in a way that felt cohesive, introducing new play opportunities such as mud kitchens and creative resources that would encourage sensory exploration, imaginative play and social interaction.
With these challenges in mind, Joshua began shaping ideas that would maximise the potential of the space while keeping the design practical, adaptable and aligned with the school’s vision for their early years provision.
From Ideas to a Playful Proposal
With a clear understanding of the school’s needs and the tight turnaround for the funding bid, Joshua Perry moved quickly to turn initial ideas into a structured and inspiring proposal. Working closely with Fiona and the wider team, the focus was on creating a design that felt both exciting and achievable, giving the school confidence in what could be delivered within the space.
To support this, our visualisation team produced clear 2D and 3D designs that helped bring the concept to life. These visuals allowed the school to picture how the extended area would look and function, making it easier to present the proposal as part of their funding application. It also helped ensure that every element, from layout to equipment choices, felt purposeful and well considered.
The design centred around introducing hands on, open ended play opportunities that would complement the existing surfacing. Features such as mud kitchens and movable play equipment were carefully selected to encourage creativity, sensory exploration and independence, giving children the freedom to shape their own play experiences.
With everything prepared in time for the grant submission, the school were able to move forward with confidence, knowing they had a strong plan in place to enhance their early years outdoor provision and create a space that would continue to grow with their pupils.
A Space Ready to Spark Imagination
Once the plans were in place and the project moved forward, the transformation of the nursery outdoor area at Upton Priory School quickly began to take shape. Building on the existing surfacing, the space evolved into a more engaging and purposeful environment that immediately invited children to explore, create and play in new ways.
The introduction of hands on play features made a noticeable difference to how the space was used. Children were naturally drawn to the mud kitchen area, immersing themselves in sensory play, mixing, building and experimenting together. Staff shared how this type of play encouraged communication, teamwork and creativity, with children confidently leading their own activities.
Freestanding resources added further flexibility, allowing the environment to change and adapt throughout the day. Whether children were building, role playing or simply exploring their surroundings, the space supported a wide range of play styles and developmental needs. It became somewhere children could return to again and again, each time discovering something new.
Overall, the extended area felt like a natural continuation of the original project. What had once been a simple outdoor space was now a rich and engaging environment that supported curiosity, independence and meaningful early years development, aligning perfectly with the goals of the School Based Nursery Grant.
Pre-school Playground
One of the most noticeable changes to the space was how much more hands on and interactive it became. With the introduction of features such as the water wall, sand table and messy play dig pit, children were given the freedom to explore, experiment and fully immerse themselves in sensory play. These elements quickly became favourites, with pupils spending long periods of time pouring, building and discovering how things worked.
The Mam Tor Mountain Climber added a different kind of excitement, encouraging children to test their physical abilities while building confidence in a safe and supportive way. Nearby, the giant chalkboard created a space for creativity to flourish, with children drawing, marking and expressing their ideas freely throughout the day.
Staff shared how much of a difference these additions had made, particularly in how engaged the children were during outdoor play. One member of staff noted that “the variety of activities has really opened up how the children play, they are more imaginative, more collaborative and much more confident in exploring the space.”
Together, these features helped create an environment where learning and play naturally came together, giving children meaningful opportunities to develop key skills while simply enjoying being outdoors.
Overall, this area included:
- A Mam Tor Mountain Climber
- A Large Covered Sand Box
- A Giant Chalkboard on Posts
- A Messy Play Dig Pit
- A Water Wall with Water Damming Station (with a Sand Table)
Building on Something Special
Working with Upton Priory School has been a genuinely rewarding experience, particularly as this project highlights how effective School Based Nursery funding can be when used to enhance and build upon existing provision. From the first conversation with Fiona Williams and the wider team, it was clear that every decision was focused on creating meaningful outcomes for early years children.
What makes this project stand out is how naturally the space has evolved. Rather than a complete overhaul, this was about enhancing what was already there and introducing meaningful additions that truly benefit the children. The result is an outdoor area that feels richer, more engaging and far more purposeful in how it supports play and development.
Staff spoke positively about how the new features have encouraged children to explore more freely, collaborate with one another and engage in longer, more focused play. It is these small but powerful changes that often make the biggest difference in early years settings.
Projects like this show how School Based Nursery funding can be used to create impactful, engaging outdoor environments that support early development from day one. We are proud to have supported Upton Priory School once again and look forward to seeing how the space continues to grow alongside their pupils!
