Parkhead Primary School

In the summer of 2009 Parkhead Primary School contacted Playground FX looking for help to freshen their playgrounds and inspire the children - they had contacted another company but found the design dull and uninspiring and wanted a more exciting design.

Two football goals already existed but without boundaries the footballers dominated too much of the play area.

We therefore proposed zoning to clearly define each activity area

It was also noted that creating drawings, images and games on the playground with chalk was encouraged but like the football, there were no boundaries and therefore had little focus.

To clearly define these areas and activities we proposed a series of “picture frames” in a classroom format, which would not only define the art areas but enable them to be shared equally among the children.

Our attention was then drawn to the quiet corner under the tree and this seemed ideal for a performance art area.

Since we introduced this concept, performance art has captured the imagination of children who have not previously been catered for in the playground. The Mirror Me dance mats cover just about every core skill.

• Agility
• Balance
• Coordination
• Fitness
• Memory
• Teamwork
• Creativeness
• Music
• Confidence

This then left us to fill the remaining area and pathway with some fun but useful markings, including 10 – 100 number range, a 2,4,6 etc. number range, a clock and the alphabet.

We then used our design facility to put together a unique design that addressed all these issues and emailed it back with 48 hours.

Once we heard our concept was almost as required we fine tuned it and after a few amendments won the order.

However this is not the end of our service, as even the best designs on paper need experienced, skilled crews to ensure all these dreams come true and in this case the crew identified that the 10 – 100 numbers would look better in a ladder form than on the proposed snake and the alphabet could be provided by putting the snake on the long pathway leading to the school.

This was discussed with the school and implemented with skill to ensure the design retained all the features that had been carefully integrated.