Buckland St Mary Primary School

Project Info:

Location: Chard, Somerset

Age Range: 4 - 11 Years Old

Budget: £13,000

Sector: EYFS, Primary

Project Info:

Location: Chard, Somerset

Age Range: 4 - 11 Years Old

Budget: £13,000

Sector: EYFS, Primary

A young girl in a school uniform climbs and smiles on a wooden climbing frame with red ropes in an outdoor playground.

A wooden playground assault course with ropes and beams stands on grass near a paved path in Buckland St Mary, surrounded by leafless trees and houses in the background.

Three young children in school uniforms stand and smile on wooden playground equipment on a grassy area outdoors at Buckland St Mary.

Three children in school uniforms from Buckland St Mary are playing on a wooden playground structure with ropes and beams on artificial grass in an outdoor area.

A child stands on a wooden log swing, holding onto a rope structure in the Buckland St Mary outdoor playground on a sunny day.

Key Outcomes

Pupils now have a dedicated area to play during break and lunchtimes without using up the entire grassed space.
Positioned close to the tarmac, the play space helps reduce mud and prevent erosion of the grass.
Children can use the space after school, offering the only available play provision within the village. Making it a valuable space for the wider community to enjoy.

Customer Feedback

“We are SO pleased, it looks great! The children are very excited. It’s so nice to see a refreshed playground and the surfacing was the right decision. Thank you so much for all your help! I now hope to make it my next mission to achieve phase 2!

We absolutely love it! I’ve not long returned home today from another afternoon after school as my girls love staying and playing with their friends.

Even in this soggy, wet and miserable weather – the play area has been perfect for all year-round use, its position and the surfacing are spot on. Come rain and shine, and even frost – it was made extra fun to crunch and leave footprints on the Astro!”

J. Farmer, PTA

BACKGROUND

Buckland St Mary C of E Primary School is located near Chard in South Somerset. As a Church of England school, it is proud of its strong Christian foundation, with clear values and ethos shaping all aspects of school life.

The school welcomes all children from all faiths and backgrounds, encouraging every pupil to grow into a responsible individual who shows respect for others and for the environment.

PROJECT BRIEF

The school had an existing large play area; however, it covered the entire grassed space. While this provided extensive fixed play provision, it significantly reduced the amount of natural grass available for play, sports, and wider community use.

In addition, the large extent of safety surfacing resulted in high ongoing maintenance and repair costs over time. Affecting the long-term sustainability of the space. The school recognised that they needed to adapt the existing play area to better balance play opportunities, grassed space, and future maintenance requirements.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

With support from Fawn’s Somerset Outdoor Grounds Consultant, Buckland St Mary was advised to reposition the play area closer to the tarmac. This was to help improve accessibility during the winter months. Reducing mud and erosion, and ensure that areas of grass were retained for other play activities.

The project was overseen by the Headteacher Mrs E Stanliland but was made possible through the commitment and drive of Jennie Farmer, who played a vital role in securing funding and moving the project forward. Jennie coordinated the removal of the existing equipment and surfacing. Allowing Fawns to carry out the installation of the new play design and artificial grass surfacing.

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