Being outdoors and heavily used, all playgrounds eventually need to be upgraded. Surfacing gets worn, play equipment can get damaged and everything can begin to become a little tired and uninviting. While complete revamps are the ideal solution, in the current climate, not every school has the necessary finances to invest in a new playground. To help, here are some low-cost playground improvement ideas for schools.
Invest in maintenance
If you cannot invest in a brand-new playground, it makes perfect sense to invest in maintaining your existing schoolyard. If you can keep your existing surfacing and play equipment in good order you can extend its lifespan and reduce the need for replacement.
To keep on top of your playground, keep your timber treated, patch any worn surfacing and balding grassed areas as soon as possible to stop problems from spreading, and protect metal apparatus against rust. If parts are broken, replace them to ensure any equipment doesn’t pose a health and safety hazard.
All playgrounds should be assessed annually by an independent, qualified RPII inspector to ensure they are fit for purpose and comply with BS EN 1176. ESP Play offers annual RPII playground inspections as well as detailed, interim operational inspections should you require them.
Add some greenery
Adding some greenery is a low-cost playground improvement that can transform the look of your outdoor space. Drab-looking playgrounds can be transformed with the addition of trellises and planters. Unsightly views can be covered over with verdant green walls while plants can add a much-needed touch of colour, making the space more inviting for pupils. ESP play has a wide variety of trellises and planters specially designed for the playground, some of which are built into seating, pergolas and shelters.
Get out the paintbrush
A lick of paint is another low-cost playground improvement that can deliver big changes in how the space looks and feels. There are numerous ways you can do this, including repainting faded play equipment in more vibrant colours, refreshing the look of fences and external doors and, as quite a lot of schools have done, creating an outdoor mural.
If you do choose to do some paintwork, remember to choose the right paint for the job and make sure you prepare a colour scheme so that nothing clashes.
Stop grass erosion
If you have a grassed play area that turns into a mudslide when it’s wet and gets worn away during the summer term, then it is likely you will spend quite a lot of money each year having it reseeded. There will also be periods when it becomes unusable.
The simple, low-cost solution for stopping erosion in wet and dry weather and preventing the area from getting too slippery to walk on, is to install grass matting. These durable, interlocking mats are laid over your existing grass area to protect the surface from wear and tear. The mats themselves are soon hidden by the grass that grows through them and this also enables the grass to be cut as normal.
Playground markings
If you are looking for an inexpensive way to give children new things to do when outside, thermoplastic playground markings are one of the best additions you can make. Easy to install and maintenance-free, they can add a wide variety of playground games, educational activities and sports pitches to your playground. These include hopscotch and stepping games, numbers, shapes and letters activities, and markings for football, basketball, netball, rounders and cricket.
Upright playboards
Removable and interchangeable, there is a wide range of different playboards that you can put up in the playground to give kids more things to do in their free time. Whiteboards and blackboards provide opportunities for drawing and colouring, while there are specialist boards for games like battleships, chess, ludo, noughts and crosses, snakes and ladders, Connect 4 and more.
Attached to sturdy, upright posts, these can be put up and taken down as and when needed. What’s more, there are also a wide variety of curriculum-based boards you can use for outdoor lessons – we have some for almost every subject.
Switchable play equipment
If you have the finance to invest in climbing apparatus but want your money to go further, then another low-cost playground improvement idea is to install interchangeable trim tails equipment. These are rope challenges that come with a sturdy timber climbing frame, but allow you to swap one rope challenge for another on a regular basis. This means you can constantly offer children different climbing activities without having to pay for brand-new equipment. As a result, your children can often have something new to keep them occupied during their break times.
There is a wide range of interchangeable pieces you can choose from and there are versions for different age groups and abilities.
Conclusion
While financial constraints don’t always make it possible to budget for a full playground revamp, you can still use plenty of low-cost playground improvement ideas to keep your existing space in good condition and add new features and activities. Hopefully, this post will provide you with some inspiration.
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