Wellington Prep is a bright and vibrant school in the heart of Wellington near Taunton. In August 2017 Wellington Prep School merged with the secondary school, Wellington School. There are currently 230 children attending the day school.
Wellington’s ethos rests on three principles: outstanding relationships that are formed by values such as kindness, tolerance, inclusivity and trust, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence in everything they do.
Wellington Prep contacted dbdplay to replace their ‘out of action’ trim trail and requested that the replacement included the children’s favourite, monkey bars.
The school also wanted to brighten up their tarmac play space. Wellington Prep had an unused area of their playground that was blocked off with posts and they wanted it to offer opportunities for nonphysical play and encourage communication and imaginative play.
Our design solution included a new Trim Trail including items that would engage upper body strength and core stability, whilst providing an exciting physical challenge. We placed the trail along the edge of the tarmac playground using Just Like Grass surfacing to extend the all-weather play area. The Play Grass pathway offers vibrancy with its colour, creating an area of interest throughout the Trim Trail and encouraging children to use their imagination.
We installed a Just Like Grass MUGA with a 10mm Shockpad and Painted Court Markings which would reduce playground injuries. The MUGA encourages Physical Play and provides a large area for group activities and sports games.
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In the unused tarmac area of the playground, we included a Performance Stage and Amphitheatre Seating which could also be used for lessons, role play and performances. The Chalkboards enable the children to design their own backdrop for the stage and supports storytelling and acting out a narrative. The Storytelling Chair and Grass Top Stools encourage children to embrace learning and group discussions, promoting listening and attention skills. The Play Hut and Den offers an area for social interactions, whilst also providing shade and seating.