Transforming a Poulton primary school's play area

We've teamed up with Carr Head Primary School in Poulton to support the transformation of their play areas.

The school has previously struggled with on-going drainage issues on their land, which had limited the opportunities for children to enjoy outdoor activities.

Year 3 teacher Vicki Cooper, in a commendable effort to create a more engaging play environment for the pupils, embarked on a mission to enhance the school's play areas. Drawing inspiration from ideas found on Pinterest, Vicki used donated wood and pallets to construct a sandpit along with other outdoor play areas.

Her dedication to the children of Carr Head shone through as she was faced with making the play area accessible for every child’s needs. Vicki proposed the idea of installing a pathway to ensure that every child – including wheelchair users – could enjoy the newly created spaces.

Ms Cooper knew that she would need assistance to complete this challenge, therefore contacted us to ask for a helping hand.

Our A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool team in collaboration with Kier got to work and excavated a pathway across the whole play area, increasing the accessibility throughout.

Daniel Moore, project manager at National Highways, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, "At National Highways, we are committed to enhancing the communities we serve.

“We are proud to support Carr Head Primary School in this initiative, ensuring that all children can enjoy the new play areas. This project showcases the positive impact we can make when communities and organisations work together."

Vicki Cooper, Year 3 Teacher at Carr Head Primary School said: “Carr Head introduced the outdoor play and learning (OPAL) project and have been developing the grounds alongside this. An enormous new sandpit was constructed to be enjoyed at lunchtime but access to reach the sandpit was challenging, especially if the field was wet and muddy.

“National Highways and Kier came to the rescue and constructed an all-weather access path to ensure that all children can access the sandpit safely. Thank you!”