Kompan Schools Brochure by Kompan UK

Service and support KOMPAN will work with you at every stage of your project to turn your ideas into an outdoor space that will benefit your school for years to come. Here are just a few of the things we can help with:

Play for schools

Consulting with pupils, parents and the community. Collaborating to design a playground can be a huge opportunity for cross-curricular learning, incorporating negotiating, presenting, ICT, budgeting and planning skills. KOMPAN can work with you to gather ideas from all your stakeholders both young and old, and translate them into an effective design to meet your budget.

Creating a design Our in-house playground design team will work with you to combine your ideas with the practical considerations of your site to create a free, no obligation design. We can present this as a plan or a 3D imagining of your site – perfect for presenting to PTA and community groups.

Full project management We can provide a single point of contact for managing your project from start to finish, pulling together all those finishing items that make your playground complete. This can include planting schemes, landscaping, safety surfacing and any specialised items your project needs. We will ensure everything is delivered to your site at the correct point in the project, installed by trained teams and collected in a single invoice, leaving you free to focus on all the opportunities your new space will bring.

Installation KOMPAN works exclusively with in-house installation teams and dedicated install partners who specialise in playground projects, allowing us to provide the highest level of quality and service across the UK and Ireland. If you would prefer to use your own contractor, we are happy to supply equipment directly to your site.

The products in our market-leading range span all ages, cover every potential category and accommodate every stage of a child‘s development and play. Visit our website to get inspired. To receive one of the catalogues below, or get in contact with a Kompan team near you, please visit: www.KOMPAN.com

Unique Play Areas - TODDLERS & PRESCHOOL The 1+ catalogue presents products suitable for toddlers and preschool children. You will find products from the product lines: MOMENTS, ELEMENTS, NATURE and CITYLIFE.

Unique Play Grounds

Unique Playgrounds

- SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

The 6+ catalogue presents products suitable for schoolage children and teenagers. You will find products from the product lines: ICON, BLOQX, ELEMENTS, CITYLIFE, GALAXY, MOMENTS and NATURE.

The 6+ catalogue presents products suitable for school age children and teenagers. You will find products from the product lines: ICON, BLOQX, ELEMENTS, CITYLIFE, GALAXY, MOMENTS and NATURE.

Games, Sport and Nets

- ALL AGES

The Play Sport catalogue presents products suitable for all age groups; children, young people, adults and seniors. KOMPAN’s Play Sport products encourage not only physical activity but also social interaction. You will find products from the product lines: COROCORD, ICON, BLOQX, X-ERCISE and FREEGAME.

KOMPAN Scotland The Play Practice Ltd. Quarrywood Court, Livingston, EH54 6AX Tel: 01506 442266 Fax: 01506 442299 play@theplaypractice.co.uk

Printed on FSC™ Mixed Sources paper Cert. no. SW-COC-001221 · www.fsc.org

TODDLERS & PRESCHOOL

Unique Play Areas

KOMPAN UK KOMPAN Ltd. 21 Roebuck Way, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire, MK5 8HL Tel.: 01908 201002 Fax: 01908 201007 kompan.uk@kompan.com

KOMPAN Ireland Go Play Ltd. Corofin, Co. Galway Tel.: 093 41100 Fax: 093 41851 playgrounds@goplay.ie

www.KOMPAN.co.uk

KOMPAN Northern Ireland Unique Playgrounds Ltd. Unit 5, Derryloran Enterprise Centre, Derryloran Industrial Estate, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, BT80 9LU Tel: 028 86766003 Fax: 028 86758883 info@uniqueplaygrounds.co.uk

KOMPAN Scotland The Play Practice Ltd. Quarrywood Court, Livingston, EH54 6AX Tel: 01506 442266 Fax: 01506 442299 play@theplaypractice.co.uk

Printed on FSC™ Mixed Sources paper Cert. no. SW-COC-001221 · www.fsc.org

YD-11-02-UKUK-1

YD-11-01-UKUK-1

KOMPAN Ireland Go Play Ltd. Corofin, Co. Galway Tel.: 093 41100 Fax: 093 41851 playgrounds@goplay.ie

School age children

www.KOMPAN.co.uk

Unique Playgrounds

KOMPAN UK KOMPAN Ltd. 21 Roebuck Way, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire, MK5 8HL Tel.: 01908 201002 Fax: 01908 201007 kompan.uk@kompan.com

KOMPAN Ireland Go Play Ltd. Corofin, Co. Galway Tel.: 093 41100 Fax: 093 41851 playgrounds@goplay.ie

KOMPAN Scotland The Play Practice Ltd. Quarrywood Court, Livingston, EH54 6AX Tel: 01506 442266 Fax: 01506 442299 play@theplaypractice.co.uk

Printed on FSC™ Mixed Sources paper Cert. no. SW-COC-001221 · www.fsc.org

www.KOMPAN.co.uk

Games, Sport and Nets

- ALL AGES The Play Sport catalogue presents products suitable for all age groups; children, young people, adults and seniors. KOMPAN’s Play Sport products encourage not only physical activity but also social interaction. You will find products from the product lines: COROCORD, ICON, BLOQX, X-ERCISE and FREEGAME.

www.KOMPAN.co.uk

Games, Sport and Nets

YD-11-03-UKUK-1

The 1+ catalogue presents products suitable for toddlers and preschool children. You will find products from the product lines: MOMENTS, ELEMENTS, NATURE and CITYLIFE.

Games, Sport and Nets - All ages

Unique Play Areas - TODDLERS & PRESCHOOL

KOMPAN

The 1+ catalogue presents products suitable for toddlers and preschool children. You will find products from the product lines: MOMENTS, ELEMENTS, NATURE and CITYLIFE.

KOMPAN catalogues Do you want more inspiration for a project? Want to learn more about KOMPAN?

Unique Playgrounds 6+

2 7 mpan.com

Unique Play Areas - TODDLERS & PRESCHOOL

www.KOMPAN.co.uk

Keynes e,

KOMPAN catalogues Do you want more inspiration for a project? Want to learn more about KOMPAN?

Unique Play Areas 1+

in our market-leading range span all ages, cover every potential category and accommodate every stage of a child‘s development and play. Visit our website to get inspired. To receive one of the catalogues below, or get in contact with a Kompan team near you, please visit: www.KOMPAN.co.uk

KOMPAN

KOMPAN catalogues

want more inspiration for a project? Want to learn more about KOMPAN?

All AgeS Games, Sport and Nets www.KOMPAN.co.uk

Our materials At KOMPAN we understand that the materials we use impact on the environment and your enjoyment of your playground. Visit www.KOMPAN.co.uk to find out more about how we carefully select the materials we use.

KOMPAN UK KOMPAN Ltd. 21 Roebuck Way, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire MK5 8HL Tel: 01908 201 002 Fax: 01908 201 007 KOMPAN.uk@KOMPAN.com

KOMPAN Ireland Go PLay Ltd. Carofin, Co. Galway Tel: 093 41100 Fax: 093 4185 playground@goplay.ie

KOMPAN Northern Ireland Unique Playgrounds Ltd. Unit 5, Derryloran Enterprise Centre, Derryloran Industiral Estate, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, BT80 9LU Tel: 028 867 66 003 Fax: 028 867 58 883 info@uniqueplaygrounds.co.uk

KOMPAN Scotland The Play Practice Ltd. Quarrywood Court, Livingston, EH54 6AX Tel: 01506 442 266 Fax: 01506 442 299 play@theplaypractice.co.uk

www.KOMPAN.co.uk

Learning Health

Playgrounds improve health through physical activity

Playgrounds promote motor skills development

Playgrounds help prevent weight problems and obesity

Attractive playgrounds thrill children and teenagers

Playgrounds improve concentration

Playgrounds help reduce vandalism

Everybody can participate

Social integration

PLAY GROUNDED IN KNOWLEDGE KOMPAN is respected around the globe for our knowledge-based approach to product innovation

Climbing Balancing Icon key

Spinning Swinging

CONTENTS

Sliding Sliding Climbing Climbing Gathering Balancing

Welcome to the KOMPAN guide to play for schools. We hope to share with you some of the knowledge we have gained over last 40 years, creating playgrounds for schools and public spaces all over the world. We have also highlighted some of the design tips and hero products that may help spark some ideas for your own outdoor space. It’s just a snapshot of our product range, much more can be found at www.KOMPAN.co.uk/school_playgrounds. Much of our knowledge comes from the KOMPAN Play Institute - our own in-house knowledge centre.

The KOMPAN Play Institute is an international network of play and child specialists who monitor how different trends in society influence children’s development and play patterns. The Institute also initiates and takes part in different research projects around the world, aiming to benefit children, teenagers and the adults who work with them by sharing knowledge. You can follow the institute’s work by visiting our website - www.KOMPAN.co.uk - or subscribing to our Playful Living E-newsletter.

Pretending Climbing Swinging Balancing Balancing Sliding Bouncing Climbing Swinging Rocking Balancing Sliding Swinging Swinging Discovering Sliding Sports skills

Safety Surfacing Low level playground equipment can be installed on well-maintained grass, but we have highlighted where you will need to consider extra surfacing such as grass matting or loose fill. We are happy to help you make the best choice for your site. Surfacing can also protect grass in areas of heavy footfall.

Philosophy

Play together

Inclusive design

Early Years

Key Stage 1

Key Stage 2

Trim Trail

Panna and sports pitches

Ru le p l ay

y Role pl a

Stress relief

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To ler

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We have partnered with a specialist fundraising consultancy to offer a free funding support service to help your fundraising efforts.

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Strength

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Imagin ation

Construct Coo

Flexibil ity

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e Exp

Pr op r

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You will receive one-to-one advice sessions, workshop ideas and a bespoke funding report to help you identify the best funders to approach and have the best chance of success. Best of all, 100% of any funding you receive will go into building your playground. www.kompan.co.uk/school_funding

ing

effect

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a nt Fa

ion

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Language

Pla n

PH Y S I C AL

Balance

Cause and

ATIVE E R C

Funding

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Sel f co n fi

SPICE

SO CIA L

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INTELLECTUAL Working closely with the input of the KOMPAN Play Institute, we design playground equipment that will help children to develop through challenging play. We develop playgrounds specifically to help children actively and constructively deal with real life experiences, based on the childhood development principles of SPICE.

The learning behind the fun What makes a great school playground? 1: Inclusive design Whether you are looking to create a space that will meet the needs of a mixed ability intake, or creating a playground at an SEN site, it is important that the equipment you choose will allow children of a range of ages and abilities to play together. At KOMPAN this is something we consider with every piece of equipment we design, meaning many pieces from our standard range offer play opportunities for children with a range of physical and learning impairments. To find out more about inclusive design and some our award winning products visit page 6.

2 Play Value Put simply, play value refers to the amount of “play” a piece of equipment can provide. Equipment with high play value will allow more children to play together, to invent their own ways of playing, and it will offer them a wide variety of physical challenges. It will give them problems to solve and extra challenges to negotiate as their skill and confidence grow and it will allow them to discover new games time

and time again. As few schools have limitless space or budget, it is important to select equipment that has the highest possible play value to cater for the widest range of ages and abilities. Turn to page 8 to find out more about the design that goes into creating play value in a KOMPAN product.

3: Healthy spaces Getting young people to be more active is a challenge that schools and organisations face across the UK. Whether you are working towards Healthy Schools Status or simply to challenge the typical scenario of boys playing football and girls sitting chatting, a well designed outdoor space can be a great asset. A recent study showed that school children playing freely on a KOMPAN playground, were 39% more active than average school children. But aside from the general health benefits, active pupils are 20% more likely to score top marks in maths and English than their more sedentary classmates.

room. Nature patches or veg growing areas can provide opportunities for discovery about the natural world, whilst areas for storytelling and performance provide spaces for expression. Younger children grow to understand how their bodies relate to the world around them through concepts such as under, over, higher and through. For active learners, older children can use play structures to experience cause and effect and the action of forces whilst spinning and sliding.

5: Safe challenges Children love to push boundaries and explore their environments in unexpected ways. This is an essential part of developing their mental and physical abilities and it is how they learn to anticipate and cope with risk. Whilst our equipment is independently tested to ensure it meets EN1176 standards, we also design in age appropriate challenges to allow children to experience the benefits of risk taking.

and hardwood are all selected to be attractive, durable and low maintenance, helping your school to get the most value from your investment and keep ongoing costs to a minimum. KOMPAN equipment requires very little maintenance and no painting so you won’t be dipping into your budget every year to sustain the playground.

How soon do you need it? Our most popular products can be with you in as little as two weeks .

6 Long term value 4: Outdoor learning More than just equipment and surfacing, we aim to create a space that will flow from your inside space and create and exciting resource for learning outside the class

See more at www.KOMPAN.co.uk

By using carefully selected materials, and ISO9001 accredited manufacturing processes, we make equipment that will be loved for many years to come. Materials such as galvanised steel, a type of plastic called HDPE, See more at www.KOMPAN.co.uk

Play together

Case study: Samuel Pepys School For 95 pupils at Samuel Pepys School, with ages ranging from four to nineteen, enjoyment of their school’s outdoor environment has been transformed by an initiative to turn an under-used part of the grounds into a stimulating playground and sensory garden. As part of the scheme, KOMPAN designed and installed an inclusive playground to provide developmental and recreational activities for pupils, many of them autistic, whose learning disabilities range from moderate to profound and multiple. The playground is divided into areas that offer a variety of developmental experiences for all the children, regardless of age and ability. An active play area uses equipment from the GALAXY range; a collaborative role-

needs in mind, or proactively planning a space that will accommodate a wide range of abilities in years to come, here are some suggestions of points to consider:

Access Create accessible routes around the products, using paths that can be easily negotiated. But don’t discount interesting textures such as sand and bark – they add to the play value and can be crossed surprisingly easily by many children.

Designing an inclusive space

Multi-functional

KOMPAN has a well established tradition of designing products and spaces that allow children of all abilities to play together. In fact we were selected as consultants when the guidelines for playgrounds were developed as part of the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA,) which remains one of the most comprehensive international standards for inclusive play design. Whether you are planning a space with particular

1 Super hero products for inclusive schemes

Open-ended equipment that can be used in many different ways allows children to set their own level of challenge and play alongside their classmates. You may also want to consider adding some items that will allow children to be supported by a carer, or play alone if they choose.

360° Design 360° design allows children to be part of the game, both from on the equipment, and around it. Peep holes, play counters and interactive elements all help to ensure

play area is based around CRUISER from the ELEMENTS range; while a teen-shelter provides the setting for a quiet area. “We’ve extended the school into the outdoors environment and succeeded in creating an inclusive playground for all our children. With the wide range of ages and abilities we work with at Samuel Pepys, that is a real achievement,” says Head Julia Weston. “And from our perspective, there is a wealth of developmental value for pupils in helping nurture physical skills, confidence, co-ordination and social skills.” Read more at www.KOMPAN.co.uk

everyone has the opportunity to join in.

Diverse play opportunities Aside from equipment, consider places for sensory exploration through sound, textures and smells; areas for making friends and areas for boisterous play. Whatever a child’s capabilities, they benefit from the opportunity to test out new challenges.

Clear colour and design signals Particularly relevant for those with visual and learning impairments, clear design signals make it easier to negotiate the space and the equipment. For example a grooved texture could say “I move” or a bold colour change in surfacing signifying a change in zone.

Special solutions where relevant It might be appropriate to make some special adaptions to your equipment and space to meet a particular need, for example an access ramp for a wheelchair. Our specialist design department can help you accommodate many different needs.

“A sooth ing sensatio n of motion, e specially popular with children with DAMP an d related disorders ”

“There a re so many dif ferent ways to play on our awa rd winnin g Superno va”

3 “Spin solo or with help from a friend. Many children with ASD n enjoy the sensatio of spinning”

Product

Age

Code

Accessible

Safety Surface?

Supernova

6-15

GXY916

Belt Bridge

5-12

COR680410

Spinner Bowl

4-15

ELE400024

What’s inside one of our inclusive designs? Climbing

A lookout point for a bird’s eye view

Balancing

2 Climb up or twizzle down, as high as you are able

Climbing Swinging

3 Cut outs provide handy grips for support

Balancing Sliding

4 Finger maze or instrument to strum

Swinging

5 Chunky climbing grips

Sliding

3 6

6 Textures to discover

7 Tactile details to move 8 Play counter encourages interaction between inside and outside the product

10 8

9 Spy holes for pretending

10 Soft coating is nice to touch (and not too cold) 11 Wide transfer platform

12 Clear colour signals assist those with visual impairments 13 U-shaped slide provides support

14 Space for gathering in small groups

15 Low entry point, not too far from exit point

Inclusive

Climbing

2 “ Bounce sitting, sta nding or lying, an d it’s big enough to share with a frie nd or a carer ”

Balancing Product

Swinging Sliding

Age

Code

Accessible

Safety Surface? Y

Tower

2-6

ELE40050

Hexagonal Net

5-12

COR215011

Bird’s Nest Swing

4-12

KPL903

Home See-saw

3-8

M186P

Climbing

Balancing Swinging Sliding

“Support ive backrests and footrests ”

Early Years

Core Design Landscaping and surfacing divides this small area into zones, with a central mound housing a short tunnel for exciting discoveries. With an Explorer’s Bridge and slide leading from it this becomes a play feature in its own right Familiar shapes on the wetpour help caregivers to organise time in the playground, giving clear meeting places to gather groups. Sculptures which double as seating, planting and musical instruments add multi-sensory elements to the design creating areas for quieter play in groups of one and two.

Early Years Case study: Treetops Nursery Established in 1990, the Treetops family provides childcare to over 1300 children, with over 30 sites nationwide. Treetops pride themselves on offering outstanding childcare in a fun and loving environment which helps children to develop essential skills for life. The KOMPAN team developed a design scheme that incorporated age-appropriate physical challenges such as balancing and climbing alongside areas for discovery and pretend play. Natural textures, planting and musical toys helped to create an area to stimulate all the senses, whilst a central mound and tunnel provides plenty of opportunity for fun “let’s pretend” games.

Neil Ruecroft from Treetops comments: “We were attracted to the KOMPAN range because the products are designed to support best practice with this age group. They incorporate so many design details that spark new games and challenges that help the children in our care develop through play, which supports the overall mission of our nurseries: to provide 10 out of 10 childcare.”

For the finishing touch, friendly animals were added to the wetpour graphics to reflect the jungle themed names of the nursery’s learning rooms, including the popular mascot, Roarie the lion. These familiar characters help the children to feel comfortable in the space, and spark many imaginative games.

www.KOMPAN.co.uk

1 Climbing

Balancing

Two familiar themes to trigger story telling

2 Open design to allow interaction with caregivers

Swinging

3 Move to make sound

Sliding

4 Explore textures of Giraffe’s mane and tail

“Texture explore a s to nd hidde n discoveri es to ma ke. If you have a multi-s ite nursery, exc panels fo hange ra new adv whole enture!”

1 4

5 Peekaboo holes encourage play between inside and out 6 A friendly mouse is hiding somewhere in every unit

“The Tick Tock stimulate s the left a both nd sides of th right e bra together” in

www.KOMPAN.co.uk

5 Product

Age

Code

Accessible

Safety Surface?

Forest Giraffe

1-4

MSC5416P

Tick Tock

1-3

M631P

Early Years

Keywords Communication skills, problem solving and the ability to regulate emotional responses all emerge from a child’s playful interaction with both their peers and caregivers. A healthy play environment will present children of all ages with challenges appropriate to their physical, cognitive and emotional developmental needs.

• • • •

Play that supports gross motor skills Practice of fine motor skills Role-play starters Cause-and-effect play

Beginners in friendships

Imagine endless possibilities As society and the types and amount of stimulation available to toddlers changes ensuring the right outdoor play environment has taken on even greater significance when it comes to helping young children achieve the objectives of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Research has found that toddlers engage in significant social interaction, despite their limited use of spoken language. They make up repetition games and play them in groups, repeating each other’s actions and sounds. Activities such as springers, small seesaws or stomach swings placed in pairs to encourage eye contact and play in groups of twos or threes can promote this.

Recommended play activities

Sense of space A toddler’s spatial awareness is not yet fully developed. They need to move up and down, position themselves above and below, climb over and under, and be seated higher and lower to build up a healthy understanding of spatial relations as a foundation for later learning.

Elements that support fine motor skills, improved understanding of cause and effect and language skills: parts of different materials that children can manipulate, construction play with elements in sand, imaginative themes to sustain role play.

Gross motor, spatial and balance practice: climbing, crawling, ascending and descending, rocking, sliding, balancing, swinging, slow spinning, fine motor stimulation – nets, hills, stairs, spring elements, slowly spinning elements, slides.

Evolving language skills A key driver of language development is adult-child interaction: naming objects, comparing objects and describing objects and situations. Playgrounds and play equipment can spur this important verbal interaction – especially when they resemble familiar situations and support imaginative themes and emerging role-play. Elements that can be described, reported, named or compared also help toddlers acquire these crucial early skills.

Play has long been recognised as more than an enjoyable way for children to get some exercise and let off steam.

When landscaping, consider providing: • Hills and varied activities. • Shade (e.g., from fruit trees). • Flowers growing in pots and flower beds. • A range of soft-surfaced materials such as sand. • Grass, rubber and wood chips. • Hard-surfaced paths for bicycles and walkers.

Climbing Balancing

Early Years

Swinging Sliding

“Perfectl y scaled fo r a toddle r’s proportio ns”

Climbing

Balancing Swinging

“A shady place to play or learn”

Sliding

Product

Age

Code

Accessible

Safety Surface?

Sunshade

N/A

LE18020U

Playhouse

2-6

BASIC750P

Sunflower Swing

1-4

M951P

House

1-4

MSC5409P

House Slide

1-4

MSC5402P

Xplorer’s Bridge

1-4

NAT503

Sandpit with lid

2-6

KPL510

5 Climbing Balancing Swinging Sliding

“Open, th is sand pit is perfec t for disco vering ne w textures. Closed, it becom es a stage for budding performe rs.”

KS1

Spoken language and role-play The role-play that reception class children enjoy is driven largely by the urge to control the uncontrollable. With limited control over their world, young children use imagination and fantasy to create situations they can control. This enables them to act out social situations they don’t yet fully understand, building up explanations for the social phenomena they encounter. Verbal communication takes place within the games children make up as well as about the games as they instruct each other on the roles they are each to play and how the adventure should unfold.

The demand for physical challenges Reception class children need physical challenges that will help them develop their gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Simple tasks such as jumping with both feet are still a challenge and the playground needs to offer the opportunity to develop such skills in the child’s own time. Similarly, abilities such as hopping or balancing on one leg lead to more advanced activities such as being able to roller skate or ride a bicycle. The playground needs to provide a child with their own unique development niche, allowing them to feel successful as they build on their existing individual ability.

Imagine endless possibilities By the time children reach reception class their language and cognitive development open up a whole new world of pretend play. Playtime is now an adventure aboard an intergalactic spaceship, a magical kingdom or a superhero’s cave. Theirs is an age of highly imaginative games that can go on and on, sustained by rapidly developing language abilities and creative powers. Along with fairy tales and other imaginative stimuli, play areas offering easily recognisable themes can help promote this development.

Climbing Balancing

Swinging Sliding

Key Stage 1

“Where will your journey take you today? One of ou r many units for imaginative play!” “Perfect for small spaces: sliding, climbing, pretendin g and social play packed into a co mpact footprint.”

The physical activities enjoyed by reception class children also provide essential health benefits such as helping to build strong bones and joints.

Understanding cause and effect KS1 pupils grow to understand the cause and effect of phenomena in their surroundings, learning through play and first-hand interaction. Since children need to experience things to understand them clearly, playgrounds should provide opportunities for cause-and-effect play such as manipulating various items. Other elements, such as flowers growing in pots, can also help support these children’s growing understanding of the world.

“Gather and learn outdoors”

Keywords • • • •

Play that supports gross motor skills Practice of fine motor skills Role-play starters Cause-and-effect play

Recommended play activities Gross motor, spatial and balance practice: climbing, crawling, ascending and descending, rocking, sliding, balancing, swinging, slow spinning, fine motor stimulation – nets, hills, stairs, spring elements, slowly spinning elements, slides. Elements that support fine motor skills, improved understanding of cause and effect and language skills: parts of different materials that children can manipulate, construction play with elements in sand, imaginative themes to sustain role play.

Product

Age

Code

Accessible

Safety Surface?

Play Structure

2-6

BASIC621P

Train

2-6

KPL501

Play Shelter

N/A

LE20090U

Multi-seesaw

3-8

KPL116

Climbing Balancing

Swinging Sliding

KS1

Core Design This space caters for a wide range of ages and abilities by using zoning to create areas for different activities. Colour and texture changes signal a move from shaded, quiet learning areas to areas for fantasy and boisterous play, with an existing tree providing the focus for a story telling and friendship area. The surface materials and natural landscaping add to the play value, with new textures and levels to explore. Planting helps define the space and provides pockets for discovering nature.

Climbing Balancing

2 Climbing Balancing Swinging

“A space rocket, a sail boat, a mountain: the possibilities are endless!”

1 Swinging

Two familiar themes to trigger role-play

2 Sliding

Three different ways to climb aboard depending on ability

Climbing

Play counter for social and role-play at ground level

Balancing

Sliding

4 Swinging

5 Sliding

Key Stage 1

1 Climbing Balancing

Balancing Sliding

Sliding

Climbing

“Packed with features to encoura ge play at all levels, from both inside and ou t. Storymakers is pe rfect for mixed ability and SEN classes.”

Megaphone for experimenting with sound Spin the disk to send an SOS to fellow explorers

Climbing Swinging

Swinging

Port holes encourage play between inside and out

“A magical treehouse for climbing, explorin g and pretending!”

“Gather round for storytime.”

4 Product

Age

Code

Accessible

Safety Surface? N

Pyramid

LE20534U

Climby Shifter

2-6

M7021P

Balance Pods

LE20520U

Ocean Jungle

2-6

MSC6408P

Fairytale Throne

LE20544U

Balancing Swinging Sliding

KS2

Ensuring children engage in enough physical activity each day not only helps to combat obesity and heart disease in later life, it also helps them to maintain a healthy body composition relevant to their stage of development. In the USA, a Surgeon General’s report suggested that burning 150 calories every day was necessary to achieve this. Research by The KOMPAN Institute found that school age children could achieve two thirds of this target with just 30 minutes play on KOMPAN equipment and 100% of their daily target with only 45 minutes play on KOMPAN equipment. School aged children’s physical development can vary greatly, something that organised sports may not consider to the necessary degree. Free play allows each child to extend themselves without over reaching while trying to achieve targets they are not developmentally capable of. Free play also encourages the development of all major muscle groups, which helps to avoid injuries associated with organised sports that can place more emphasis on particular muscles than a child’s body is ready for.

Creativity and rules For school aged children, creative play is closely linked to “rules play”. These children enjoy creating rules and measurements to benchmark themselves and others. They love to play traditional games such as tag and hide-andseek. But they also try to exceed their physical comfort zones to gain even more skills. Play areas and playground equipment for this age group should support both the need to play traditional games and to experiment.

More fun and nearly 10 times as much exercise

Active learning

Multiple studies have demonstrated that the traditional idea of school aged children receiving enough exercise through organised sports and formal physical education (PE) is incorrect. Free play sessions, where children are focused on having fun rather than getting some exercise, have been shown to increase physical activity by an average of 992% (source: NHS Bedfordshire).

At Key Stage 2 children learn in school, but recent research shows that much of the learning these children acquire – including many “life skills” and a better understanding of the physical world – also needs to be learned actively, not just taught. Outdoor play environments with measurable challenges, out-of-the-way corners where small groups can gather, and the potential for a variety of play activities can help children improve their concentration and readiness to learn.

Key words in development and play design for school age children • Gross motor ABC: agility, balance and coordination • “Rule play” scenarios • Places to spend time with others

Recommended play activities Gross motor, agility, balance and coordination practice: climbing, crawling, bouncing, rocking, sliding, spinning, balancing, swinging – nets, steeper hills, swings, spring seesaws, spinning ELEMENTS, slides. Social play events: even though school age children can play in bigger groups, they also like to gather in smaller groups – especially girls. Fine motor skills practice such as sand and water play is still appealing to this age group.

When landscaping consider providing: • •

Hard surfaces for ball games. Varied activities and different levels and layers of play. Shade (from trees that are safe for climbing). Areas where groups of two or three can socialise.

• •

Climbing Balancing

Key Stage 2 1 Climbing Balancing Climbing Swinging Balancing Sliding Swinging Sliding

Trim trail grows up Climbing

“Designed with the German Institute of Posture, the Parko ur range engages co re muscles to impro ve posture and core strength through out later life”

Swinging Sliding Climbing

As their skills gro w, older children need activities tha t will stretch them both mentally an d physically, testing them in new ways .

Balancing Climbing

Balancing Swinging Balancing Swinging Climbing

Sliding Swinging

Sliding Balancing

Product

Age

Code

Accessible

Safety Surface?

Yard Net

3-8

KPL806

Rope Parkour

COR150000

Skyline 2

6-12

ELE500104

Sliding Swinging Sliding

KS2

Case study: Reculver School The aim of staff and pupils from Reculver Primary School was to add playground resources that would encourage high activity levels in a safe outdoor play environment. They also wanted to ensure the playground met the requirements for a number of pupils that have some kind of visual and/or hearing impairment. KOMPAN worked with the team and the school council to create a playground that would help to deliver as much of the curriculum as possible outdoors and meet the following key requirements: •

Create playground zones that facilitated activities for all.

•

A better resource for PE curriculum delivery.

•

An outdoor performance area.

•

Increased amount of all-weather play provision.

•

Create a multi-skills zone.

•

An exciting playground that would ensure a long term (15+ years) appeal.

Climbing