Ysgol Derwen Primary School

Ysgol Derwen Primary School:
How Thoughtful Design Created A Favourite Play Space For Girls

Can the position of a play tower influence who chooses to use it? At Ysgol Derwen Primary School, one carefully positioned climbing tower has become especially popular with girls, demonstrating how thoughtful playground design can encourage different styles of play without compromising physical development.

Discover how Creative Play combined purposeful equipment with intelligent layout design to create a playground that offers children meaningful choice throughout the school day.

Part of a heritage serving the rural village of Higher Kinnerton in Flintshire since 1893, Ysgol Derwen Primary School is committed to helping pupils "develop potential through educational excellence" while promoting respect and care for others.

When the school set out to improve its outdoor environment, the aim was to create a carefully considered space that supported younger children's development in a variety of ways.

Working closely with the school, Creative Play developed a series of complementary play and learning zones that encourage physical development, personal and social skills, literacy and understanding of the world, while also giving teachers more opportunities to take learning outdoors.

Designing A Playground Around Different Ways To Play

Each area was created with a distinct purpose, giving children opportunities to learn, explore, socialise and develop through different styles of play.

In addition to an existing outdoor classroom, a new hipped roof shelter provides a flexible space where lessons, group activities and storytelling can take place outside, helping children experience a change of environment while remaining engaged with learning.

A large mud kitchen encourages imaginative play, communication and collaboration, while a chalkboard supports early literacy, creativity and mark-making. Games Top picnic tables create welcoming spaces for children to gather, socialise or continue learning outdoors, while a mound tunnel introduces additional opportunities for exploration and physical movement.

Practical elements were also considered within the design. Dedicated storage, including trike storage, helps keep the area organised while encouraging children to take responsibility for the equipment they use.

To introduce a greater element of physical challenge, the design also included a Helvellyn Jigsaw Tower. Combining climbing, balancing and sliding, the timber structure provides younger pupils with opportunities to develop strength, coordination, confidence and problem-solving skills through active play.

However, the success of the Helvellyn also demonstrates that great playground design is about more than the equipment itself.

Why Is The Helvellyn Jigsaw Tower So Popular With Girls?

The Helvellyn Jigsaw Tower has become one of the most popular features within Ysgol Derwen's playground, particularly among girls.

Its success highlights how thoughtful layout decisions can influence the way children use outdoor spaces.

Positioned away from the busiest part of the playground, the tower provides a quieter destination where children can enjoy a different pace of play. Its elevated platform and roofed design give it a sheltered, playhouse-like feel, creating a natural meeting place.

This private, more enclosed style of space appears to be a key reason the tower has become so popular with girls. It creates a natural base where friendship groups can gather, chat and invent games together, giving them a space they can make their own.

At the same time, the elevated platform gives them a clear view of the playground, allowing them to feel part of the wider play environment while choosing when to join in with more energetic activities.

Supporting Children’s Wellbeing

The new outdoor play equipment has created “an area for children to chill out during playtimes and help their wellbeing.”

– Ysgol Derwen Primary School Head Teacher

While every child has their own individual preferences, many girls value opportunities for social interaction, imaginative play and maintaining friendship groups during playtimes. The thoughtfully positioned Helvellyn Jigsaw Tower responds to these preferences without compromising physical development. Instead, it combines climbing, balancing and sliding with a quieter, more welcoming place where friendships and imaginative play can flourish.

A Playground Designed Around Children's Behaviour

The most successful playgrounds are those where every child can find the type of play experience that suits them best. Ysgol Derwen's playground demonstrates how understanding the way children choose to play, combined with purposeful equipment and thoughtful layout design, creates outdoor environments that offer meaningful choice throughout the school day.

The Helvellyn Jigsaw Tower captures this approach perfectly - a structure designed to develop physical skills that, through thoughtful positioning, has also become a valued social space for girls to imagine and play together.

Discuss Your Playground Plans With Creative Play

Every school has different challenges, priorities and opportunities with its outdoor space.

Our team can help you design a playground that supports learning, encourages inclusion and gives children more ways to play.

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