Using MUGAs and Adventure Play Equipment To Naturally Split Key Stage Zones | Alkrington Primary School

A forward-looking primary school in Middleton, Manchester, wanted to ‘invest appropriately to support and enhance teaching and learning‘ for both KS 1 and KS 2 pupils. Seeking a natural way to provide play suited to different stages of development, Alkrington Primary School partnered with Creative Play to design a playground that guides children to suitable areas without the need for physical barriers.

See how we utilised our extensive experience in designing, manufacturing, and installing outdoor play equipment tailored to educational environments to transform this playground into an engaging, key stage-segmented play space that supports the school’s vision:

• Zones tailored to skill-level, encouraging independence and confidence
• Adventure play and multi-use games areas promoting physical development and collaboration through teamwork
• Flexible layouts that make the most of a limited, shared space
• Equipment designed to support a range of abilities and learning styles
• Personalised, vibrant features that create a sense of ownership

ALKRINGTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Catering for children from Nursery to Year 6, the Middleton-based school provides a supportive, positivity-driven environment for over 500 pupils. As outlined on the school’s website, they are committed to creating ‘a warm and welcoming environment where all feel valued’, focused on developing resilience, confidence, independence, and respect through engaging learning experiences.

The project at Alkrington Primary is a typical example of how Creative Play has developed long-term relationships with clients by delivering high quality playground equipment for schools throughout the UK.

Go Straight To Gallery Images

Customer Objective

The school wanted a playground that reflects its nurturing values while promoting active, social play to strengthen collaboration skills and prepare pupils ‘for the next stage in their school career and in their lives beyond’. With a focus on wellbeing and personal development, they also wanted to cultivate confidence and resilience in pupils through independent play and decision-making.

There was also a need to create a natural distinction between KS1 and KS2 play spaces, ensuring each age group had an area suited to their needs without forcing a physical barrier between the two.

Consultation

After an initial call to discuss space and budget, Outdoor Play Expert Ryan Griffiths visited Alkrington Primary to assess the site, explore the school’s vision for independent and cooperative play, and gather the insights needed to brief the design team on creating a tailored plan, providing expert advice and drawing on their expertise to ensure the playground meets both the school’s needs and budget constraints.

Highlights From Previous Playground Developments At Alkrington Primary School

• Relocated a trim trail to accommodate the installation of new security measures. Moving it to a reception area from a KS2 zone meant modifying it for younger children by lowering ropes and positioning climbing panels to be within easy reach.
• Outdoor classrooms are popular at Alkrington Primary, and to create space for an additional shelter, we removed a fence and positioned it on the school’s expansive rear field – leaving the younger children’s play area completely unaffected, save for the entrance of the shelter.
• The Wetpour safety surfacing and PlayTec PCR plastic panels are all finished in blue, reflecting the school’s colour theme. This consistent use of colour across our projects at the school has helped create a cohesive and visually appealing playground environment, one of the benefits of being a repeat partner.

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS: INDEPENDENCE & SOCIAL PLAY IN A SHARED ABILITIES SPACE

State Of Area Before Installation:

• Old outdoor play equipment taking up space
• Temporary solution for sporting teamwork activities
• Mixed traffic between KS1 and KS2 children

Following detailed discussions about the school’s priorities, the final design included goal ends with basketball hoops and targets to promote teamwork, a trim trail to develop physical confidence, and a DART activity centre to inspire independent decision-making and active play.

Choosing The Right Equipment: Trim Trail

Considering that much of the playground needed to be open space for games, a trim trail was identified as the most effective way to maximise play value while making the best use of the available area. This solution encourages unstructured play suitable for children of all abilities, while also allowing for a cohesive play narrative for those wanting it.

After reviewing several options, four pieces of equipment were selected for their variety of activities, promoting gross motor skills development and supporting children of different ability levels. The selection process focused on matching the equipment to the interests and developmental needs of the pupils to ensure the play area would be both engaging and appropriate.

‘We were acutely aware of the need to maximise play value within the space,’ says Ryan, ‘so we designed the trim trail to run alongside the fence. Thankfully, this was achievable while still maintaining the required BS EN safety distance of 1.5 metres.’

A-Frame Log Net

The A-frame log net was selected as one of the end components to encourage upper-body strength, coordination, and confidence. Its angled design provides a natural challenge for children of varying abilities, offering both a thrilling start or climactic finish point to the trail.

Overhead Traverse

Originally planned as an overhead ladder, the design was adapted to include an overhead traverse beam instead. This option offered the same sense of challenge at a more suitable height, allowing the school to use the same safety surfacing as the rest of the trail and avoid a deeper, more costly solution.

The final feature provides an engaging way to build upper-body strength, coordination, and grip, while also developing decision-making skills and boosting confidence. It adds variety and keeps children engaged throughout the circuit, yet can be easily bypassed by those who find it too challenging.

Open-Sided Double Traverse Wall

Encouraging lateral movement and spatial awareness as children navigate across it, the dual paths allow multiple children to play simultaneously, encouraging collaboration and friendly competition. Positioned mid-trail, the open-sided double traverse wall adds a dynamic challenge that engages problem-solving skills and builds confidence in movement, while remaining approachable for children of varying abilities.

Weave Beam And Stepping Logs

Incorporated to develop balance, rhythm, and focus as children move across an irregular sequence of surfaces. By combining narrow beams with stepping logs of varying height, this section promotes agility, careful planning of movement, and confidence in negotiating uneven terrain.

These four items really resonate with the school’s dedication to nurture ‘resilience, confidence, and independence’.

DART

The DART activity centre helps establish a clear but natural division between KS1 and KS2 areas. Its scale and challenge level attract younger children, ensuring age-appropriate play while older pupils continue to use the existing nearby ‘Mersey’ climbing activity centre.

A thoughtfully designed feature that lets children push boundaries safely, with multiple access and exit points providing varied levels of difficulty to suit individual confidence levels. Assessing their own risks and overcoming hazards at their own pace, it is the ideal outdoor play equipment for the school’s ethos of inspiring pupils to ‘become independent learners’.

Goal Ends

The installation of this sporting equipment is the result of coupling a desire to encourage collaborative skills with ensuring ‘talents are recognised and nurtured, enabling all children to reach their full potential’. The addition of new sport facilities not only supports physical activity but also enhances pupils’ enjoyment and participation in sport, making playtime more engaging and fun.

To prevent younger and older pupils from competing for the same equipment, two sets of goals were installed. Each was placed in the part of the playground best suited to the age group it serves.

Positioned in an area suited to frequent use, the goal ends were installed to provide a focused space for active play without disrupting the rest of the playground. Target panels were added to encourage accuracy and reduce stray balls, with one serving as a protective screen in front of school windows.

Other elements of the latest playground project included a freestanding picnic table for providing a flexible space, and a replacement outdoor stage for creating a refreshed area for performances and outdoor learning.

IMPLEMENTATION: HASSLE-FREE TERM-TIME PLAYGROUND INSTALLATION

Design

With the existing equipment in mind, our designers carefully planned the layout to enhance the playground’s overall impact and ensure every piece, both new and old, worked effectively together.

Using our durable three-layered PlayTec panels, we engraved the school’s logo onto the equipment, giving the space a distinctive, personalised finish.

Installation

Having previously completed several successful installations at the school, they were confident in inviting us to work during term time, knowing we could deliver the project efficiently and with minimal disruption to the school’s daily routine.

Easy road entrance, wide gates, and the absence of sensitive grassed areas meant installation could take place without access restrictions. Standard DBS checks were completed for all installers, and additional safeguarding measures ensured the work area remained separate from pupils.

Work began in early September and was completed within two weeks, with the project signed off for use on the 19th by an RPII-certified inspector, meeting BS EN 1176 and 1177 safety standards to full satisfaction.

RESULTS: VERSATILE ALL-AGES PLAYGROUND FOR INDEPENDENT & SOCIAL PLAY

The completed playground provides an inclusive, engaging space that reflects Alkrington Primary’s values of nurturing pupils’ confidence, resilience, and social development. The new playground encourages physical activity and supports the development of young people at the school. Younger children enjoy the DART and scaled challenges, while older pupils are drawn to the Mersey climbing centre, the playground layout delivering a natural age-split.

Personalised touches, including the engraved school logo, gives pupils a sense of pride and ownership. The varied layout and equipment choices encourage safe, independent exploration while also promoting collaboration through shared activities and team games. This helps pupils build confidence, social skills, and resilience, setting them up to thrive both in school and beyond.

The MUGA is of particular benefit. During the half-term holiday ‘children can enjoy a fantastic range of activities including multi-sports… along with lots of other exciting games and challenges’, states the October 2025 school newsletter.

Four new after-school sports groups give children the ‘opportunity to take part in football, crossfit, gymnastics, and dodgeball sessions’, meeting the school’s aim to ‘provide high quality opportunities for pupils in a range of curricular and extra-curricular activities that seek to prepare them for the next stage in their school career and in their lives beyond’.

Maintenance & Future Opportunities

The school first approached us after experiencing ongoing maintenance issues with a previous supplier, who often recommended full replacements rather than repairs. Our modular design approach and commitment to maintaining equipment wherever possible quickly gained their trust. Creative Play also helps schools manage their budgets effectively by offering solutions that support in-house maintenance and funding, ensuring cost-effective and sustainable playground development. Since then, Creative Play have become a valued repeat outdoor play equipment provider, with over a dozen new items installed – and consistently looked-after – across the last decade.

INSPIRED BY THIS AGE-APPROPRIATE PRIMARY SCHOOL PLAYGROUND?

Create a similar play space for your primary school. Explore more case studies to see what can work for you – or get in touch with Creative Play today for a free consultation! Visit the Contact Page or get in touch via email or telephone: [email protected] | 01244 375 627

Explore more primary school case studies

Find Inspiration From The Images Below