Play For Everyone at Manor Green

Play For Everyone at Manor Green

Client: Manor Green School

Location: Maidenhead, Berkshire

“We are absolutely delighted with our amazing new Early Years playground. Lewis from Playdale from the very start really listened to our needs and took the time to understand our vision for the space, along with the specific needs of our students.  They successfully transformed our vision into a vibrant, engaging, and high-quality environment that our children (and staff) absolutely love. The finished playground has already had a noticeable positive impact on our pupils, encouraging more creative play, physical activity, and social interaction, and most importantly, the space has become more accessible. The whole process has been well managed throughout — we couldn’t be happier with the result and would not hesitate to consider Playdale for future projects.” Tanya Marley, Head of Estates, Manor Green School.

Manor Green School specialises in SEN education for children and young people aged 2 – 19 years. With small class sizes and high staff-to-student ratios, the school delivers highly personalised learning and care, helping pupils build confidence and independence for life beyond the classroom.

To extend that same level of care into outdoor play, Manor Green approached Playdale to transform their ageing EYFS play area. The brief was clear: replace the worn equipment with a new playground that fully supports their pupils’ needs, creating a safe, engaging and inclusive space where every child can thrive.

Pupil-Focused Design

To meet the school’s needs, Playdale worked closely with the school to create a playground that balances structure, freedom and inclusion. While the playground equipment offers a wide variety of play opportunities, the Wet Pour racetrack running along the exterior soon became the main feature of the play area. Rather than treating it as a standalone element, Playdale’s design team used the track to shape the entire layout, dividing the playground into seven connected zones with equipment carefully positioned around it, considering the fall heights of surrounding equipment.

One section follows off from the track to a “car park”, adding even more play value and inspiring imaginative play. The design of this track created a sense of movement and purpose, with the largest zone placed at the centre to encourage confidence, agility and coordination through active play.

We ensured that the inclusive design was a central feature throughout. We included our Play Ship in the roleplay zone, extended to provide wheelchair access, enabling imaginative and role-play opportunities to be accessible to all pupils.

Two dedicated sensory play zones are located on either side of the playground. One combines a Sandbox, Mud Kitchen 4, and Planters to support tactile, creative and exploratory play. The other focuses on water play, with an arrangement of our Water Basins and a set of Scales, encouraging coordination, cause-and-effect learning and early measuring skills.

There is also an Outdoor Classroom configuration providing an accessible, sheltered environment for structured educational activities. The classroom features Educational Play Panels, such as a Concave Mirror Panel, and two Chalkboard Panels, allowing teachers to take learning beyond the classroom to a calm, supportive setting.

To accompany the Wet Pour racetrack, we chose a safety surfacing that offered both safety and sensory value. Synthetic Grass was chosen as the primary surfacing option due to it offering both impact absorption and a soft, tactile sensory experience, enhancing the overall sensory richness of the space, reinforcing Manor Green’s commitment to inclusive, pupil-centred design.

Affordability

When the playground was first designed, the available budget allowed for a wide range of fixed playground equipment. The original layout included several Playhouses and Play Panels positioned alongside the racetrack. However, following later funding adjustments, Playdale was able to work in close partnership with the school to review and refine the design.

By removing the Play Houses, additional open space was created, allowing greater flexibility for non-fixed play opportunities such as trampolines and ball games. This adjustment ensured the playground remained versatile and responsive to pupils’ needs, while still delivering high play value within the revised budget.

Play For Education

With the new playground now installed, EYFS pupils at Manor Green School now have access to outdoor play that invites them to learn and play in an environment with no boundaries. And with Playdale’s extensive guarantees, this playground will last for many years to come.

It’s important to us at Playdale that we design playgrounds for everyone. Get in touch today and explore the possibilities an inclusive playground has to offer.