Wolverdene Special School

Schoolscapes UK was approached by Wolverdene Special School, to create a vibrant, safe and inclusive SEN playground for their SEN pupils to enjoy, all year round. The school prides itself on supporting children with various abilities and works to ensure the children are encouraged and progress, academically, socially and emotionally.

As part of that support, the school wanted to expand its existing outdoor playground equipment that would challenge the children, both physically and sensory. With years of experience in designing and installing tailored SEN playgrounds for schools across the country, the team were able to dive straight into the project and deliver the school exactly what they needed.

Issues With The Existing SEN Playground

Wolverdene Special School had a space already available for the new playground equipment to be installed. However, as the school wanted to make sure children had access to the apparatus all year, the space needed to be altered slightly.

The space set aside for the new equipment was in a sheltered spot on the playground and, unfortunately, areas of it had a large issue with mud. Mud, while it’s not only a potential hazard when playing and climbing on timber equipment, it also comes with additional issues, such as:

• Sensory issues – as a special educational school, some students may have aversions to certain textures and feelings, which a large amount of mud can trigger
• Dirt – mud can get onto students shoes and school uniforms and transferred into the school and classrooms
• Safety – mud can encourage various bacteria and insects into the play area, as well as making the playground equipment slippery and unsafe to use

To overcome these issues, the team completed the necessary groundwork, removing the old grass and replacing it with artificial grass with shock pads in those areas. Ensuring that the playground equipment can be enjoyed throughout the year.

How Did Schoolscapes UK Help?

As the school caters to children with varying abilities and sensory difficulties, it was important that the equipment could be enjoyed by everyone.

To overcome this, the team installed various pieces of equipment, including:

• Eagle Nest Swing
• Hexagonal Climbing Frame
• Parallel Bars

The hexagon climbing frame had various challenges combined, so children could play either together or individually:

• Traversing wall
• Trapeze swing
• Steel ladder stepper
• Twisted net ladder

Transform Your SEN Playground With Us

With experience working alongside various schools and local authorities nationwide, Schoolscapes UK specialises in designing, manufacturing, and installing imaginative, dynamic, and curriculum-linked outdoor spaces that spark curiosity in children of all ages and abilities.

Do you have playground design ideas or projects you need support with? Whatever your vision, we’ll collaborate with you to create a tailored playground that fits perfectly within your school.
Contact our team today at 01209 823181 or email us at play@schoolscapesuk.com, and let’s bring your playground dreams to life!