Upgraded Playground For More Sport & Physically Challenging Play | South Harringay Junior School

Having worked with Creative Play the previous year to reinvent its outdoor nursery play space, South Harringay School in London was keen to collaborate again on another major playground project – the development of its junior play area.

After

The project involved several practical challenges. An existing three-tower system and its wet pour surfacing had to be removed to make way for the new Jigsaw Tower, while drainage issues in one section needed addressing before the new surfacing could be laid.

Surfacing gradients also required consideration during equipment installation, with some structural adjustments needed to accommodate the changes in level.

Perhaps the biggest challenge was finding room for more physical play opportunities within an already congested space. The design therefore needed to make effective use of areas that were otherwise underused, while maintaining clear routes and movement around the playground.

To transform the existing dull space, Creative Play designers incorporated green and blue artificial grass across the entire playground, creating a more colourful environment for play. Most of the surface was covered with 36mm artificial grass, with shorter 14mm inlay elements introducing contrasting shapes and other design details.

Shock pads were also installed beneath the grass in significant areas.

“Adding contrasting shapes and colours provides more visual interest and helps define different areas within the playground,” explains Outdoor Play Expert Travis. “This helps children choose the type of play they want”.

Before the new surfacing was laid, drainage issues were addressed by drilling holes into the tarmac. “Inspection drains were covered with artificial grass too,” explains a member of the installation team, “but we added cut lines to ensure they remained accessible”.

Beneath the new Jigsaw Tower, blue and green wet pour surfacing continued the playground’s colour scheme while providing impact absorption in line with the relevant BS EN 1177 safety requirements for the equipment’s fall height.

Perhaps the biggest challenge was finding room for more physical play opportunities within an already congested space. The design therefore needed to make effective use of areas that were otherwise underused, while maintaining clear routes and movement around the playground.

“The school told me that cricket is a big part of their play culture, but without a designated area, it often clashes with other games, particularly Four Square,” says Travis. “They wanted to retain both games as major activities and give cricket a clearly defined place of its own”.

A blue artificial grass cricket strip was incorporated into the playground, raised slightly above the surrounding surface using 10mm foam pads to distinguish it from other play areas.

Four Square was relocated using new markings away from the cricket strip. This not only allowed both games to continue without competing for the same space, but also freed up additional room.

Needing to replace an outdated three-tower system, the school worked with Creative Play’s Outdoor Play Expert to develop a new Jigsaw Tower. He immediately saw “an opportunity to design it with features that could maximise play value for the available space”.

Using the Elgon Tower as a starting point, the structure was adapted to incorporate eight entry and exit points in a combination that would be unique to the school – a vertical ladder, wonky slat ladder, ramp, climbing wall, overhead climber, slide, net climber and firefighter pole. Other features included a rope bridge, bubble viewing board, crawl tunnel and seating area.

“Positioned centrally within the playground, the tower is designed to be visible from multiple angles for ease of supervision,” explains Travis, “while its raised structure helps maintain the flow of movement around the wider play area”.

Construction of the Jigsaw Tower required careful consideration of the playground’s uneven gradients. Extra-length timber was specified for some parts to compensate for changes in level across the sloping site.

Blue PlayTec plastic elements were also incorporated to complement the colour of the playground’s surfacing theme.

Despite the main play area already accommodating a MUGA, a three-tower play system, three Four Square panels and a cricket strip, the school was keen to introduce even more opportunities for physically challenging play.

“After consultation with our designers,” says Travis, “we realised several pieces of active play equipment could be installed in narrow areas, a transitional space and a section behind the MUGA that might otherwise be underused”.

The narrow profile of the chin-up bars and overhead traverse made them a good fit for the limited space behind the MUGA, introducing additional physical play opportunities without requiring a large footprint.

Based on athletic movements, the equipment also supports the school’s preference for sports-related activities.

The equipment’s low height meant that safety requirements could be met using shock pads, avoiding the need for more costly surfacing alternatives such as wet pour.

The traverse wall’s shape made it a good fit along the side of the MUGA, turning a narrow corridor-like space into an opportunity for active play.

Offering a different active challenge, climbing along the wall helps develop both gross and fine motor skills while making use of an area that might otherwise have had little play value.

Two basketball hoops were fitted to the exterior of the MUGA, introducing an additional sports activity without taking up any of the playground’s footprint. This left the surrounding space open for movement when the hoops were not in use, while allowing several children to play at the same time.

Blue numbered circles on the surface outside of the MUGA provide five levels of challenge for basketball throwing, catering for a range of ages and abilities while giving children scope to develop their skills.

The redesigned playground gives South Harringay School more opportunities for sport and active play, with games areas that no longer compete for the same space. By making better use of narrow and previously underused sections, Creative Play introduced additional activities and freed up room for movement – all within the existing footprint.

Serving approximately 240 pupils, the playground now offers a wider variety of physical challenges, from climbing and traversing to basketball and cricket. These activities support the development of gross and fine motor skills, social skills and confidence, giving pupils more ways to be active, develop their abilities and enjoy playing together.

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