Brickhills Inclusive Play Area - St Neots TC _001

Case Study Ruth’s House

Client:

Budget:

Freemantle's School

£50,000

Start Date:

Completion Date:

20th September Nichola Miles

10th October 2022

Contact:

Title:

Senior Building Surveyor

email:

Phone:

Nichola.Miles@surreycc.gov.uk

Freemantles School is a Surrey County Council school for children and young people with complex social communication needs, usually including a diagnosis of Autism and have developed a renowned understanding and specialism in this area. They received an OFSTED Outstanding in Grade in November 2016. The school supports children from 4-19 years old and has a wide catchment area which covers most of Surrey but mainly the West. The school opened on its current Mayford site in 2007, designed to accommodate a single cohort of pupils in each year group. The school approached eibe Play in early 2022 to help support them with redesigning their outdoor play space, as the current one was starting to show its age and was uninspiring for the school children using it.

The old play space was partially unusable during the wetter winter months and gave the school children very little play value. eibe Play set about with the initial design process, with play value and accessibility at the forefront of our minds. We wanted to ensure that all the play equipment could be used all year round and that the play equipment we offered could be used by all abilities and ages. Another critical requirement from the school was to include sensory items such as play panels that offer sound and challenge. The school children often used the play area to ride their bikes and scooters and made their own bike tracks with cones. Therefore, our design needed to include a roadway where the children could practise their bike skills and road safety.

eibe Play then sat down with the school to present our initial design concepts, and after a few minor changes, eibe Play was commissioned to carry out the works. The final design included some of the eibe Plays’ favourite play items, such as the Satellite Carousel and Inclusive Trampoline. To complement this, we included some of our natural Sensory Play Panels that offer the school children the experience of making all different types of sound. Added to this is our sensory pathway made up of different types of surfacing material, cycle track and outdoor seating shelter. Work started in late September, and the installation went without a hitch. The school met with eibe Play personnel to undergo the required maintenance training, and then the play area was opened for the school children to use and love. We are very proud of this play space and look forward to working alongside Freemantles School to ensure this play space remains a hit for years to come. Brickhills Play Area - St Ne ts Town C uncil / 30

Brickhills Play Area - St Neots Town Council / 31