An All-Weather Play Area for a SEND nursery

Setting the Scene

The Brunel SEN MAT (BSM) is a 0-25 multi-academy trust specialising in the special education sector. Established in March 2016 the Brunel SEN MAT now have 6 fabulous SEND education provisions working together to deliver exceptional learning experiences that lead to significantly improved life chances and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

All Aboard Nursery offers daytime care for children aged 3 and 4 with additional needs that are primarily sourced in social communication difficulty, including autism.

They set out to assist all children attending All Aboard Nursery to achieve their potential within their perceived capabilities. Children attending All Aboard Nursery have ASD or SCID as their primary need and as such their curriculum and setting is planned and designed to always take this into account.

All Aboard Nursery is accessible to and inclusive of all ASD/SCID affected children and their families from across the whole Swindon Borough through open, fair, and clearly communicated procedures.

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Customer Objectives

All Aboard Nursery wanted a safe all weather play area for their children. Their garden had a very steep slope, which made it awkward to use. The staff at the setting explained that the children really enjoyed using their trikes and scooters, however the only space they had to do this was down the slope which made this activity dangerous. An additional concern was to eliminate a trip hazard that existed between the grass area and the existing play equipment, which was a source of trips and stumbles. The area, including all trees and vegetation had just cleared by the Nursery, however the space was still inaccessible and muddy and the Nursery needed this area to be usable and safe for all.

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Our Solution

Firstly we levelled the area, by building up the ground to eliminate the steep slope and remove the existing trip hazard. We installed Just Like Grass all weather surfacing over the newly levelled space. We also installed a Play Grass roadway at the top of the playground going around their existing play equipment, where the children could safely use their trikes.

The solution is an accessible and functional playground which can be used and enjoyed by the children all year round. Darren, the Facilities Manager is 'thrilled' and commented 'it looks amazing.'