Alkrington Primary School | North Manchester

Active & Social Playgrounds for Every Age: Alkrington Primary School, Middleton, North Manchester

A forward-thinking primary school in Greater Manchester, Alkrington Primary wanted to create a playground that naturally provided areas for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 play without the need for fencing or barriers. By investing in high-quality outdoor playground equipment, the school supports its goal of encouraging inclusive, safe, and stimulating play spaces for all pupils. Working in partnership with Creative Play, the school developed an age-appropriate outdoor environment that promotes independence, teamwork, and confidence through tailored adventure and sports play.

• - Primary school playground in Greater Manchester
• - Adventure play and MUGA areas designed for different Key Stages
• - Equipment encouraging teamwork, coordination, and resilience
• - Personalised design reflecting the school’s values and colours
• - Outcome: Shared playground space guiding pupils to age-appropriate areas

Alkrington Primary School provides a welcoming environment for pupils from Nursery to Year 6, focused on resilience, independence, and social development through active learning. The school offers a variety of play opportunities that create an engaging environment, inspiring imagination and enjoyment for children of all ages.

Customer Objectives

The school wanted a safe, open space that reflects its nurturing ethos for encouraging confidence and cooperation. Careful design choices were made to ensure safety and quality throughout the playground. A key goal was to provide zones that would appeal to pupils of different abilities, a natural age-appropriate separation between Key Stage 1 and 2 children that would support their physical and mental development.

Playground Development Challenges & Solutions

The site had outdated equipment and overlapping play traffic between age groups. Following on-site consultation, Creative Play designed distinct play areas: a trim trail and DART climbing frame for younger pupils, and a separate set of goal ends for both the younger and older ones. These pieces of equipment encourage the development of motor skills and promote a variety of physical activities among children. ‘The aim', explains Outdoor Play Expert Ryan Griffiths, 'is to maximise play value within a shared space’.

Playground Equipment Design & Installation

Using a bright blue theme in PlayTec recycled plastic elements and wetpour safety surfacing to match school colours, the equipment was installed efficiently during term time by our experienced team in just two weeks, with minimal disruption. Each piece of outdoor play equipment meets BSEN 1176 and 1177 safety standards, highlighting the durability and quality of the professional manufacture and installation. The timber-based playground is designed to last many years, providing long-term value and enjoyment, backed up by some of the lengthiest guarantees in the industry.

Results For Alkrington Primary School Playground: Improved Traffic & Social Skills

Successfully sharing the space, the completed playground boosts teamwork, confidence, and independence, while bringing fun and enjoyment to children. The new outdoor play equipment encourages teamwork, inspiring personal expression and collaborative skills development during physical activities.

The school now hosts after-school sports clubs and holiday activities, aligning perfectly with the school’s commitment to physical and personal growth for children at this primary school in the northern sector of Manchester, providing peace of mind for parents and staff.

Inspired By This KS1 & KS2 Shared Space Playground In Middleton, North Manchester?

Explore more school playground projects or contact Creative Play for your free on-site consultation: [email protected] | 01244 375 627

With years of experience working with a wide variety of schools, we are committed to delivering excellent customer care at every stage of your project.