Finding the right school playground provider to buy and install outdoor equipment can be a challenge. If it has been a while since your last upgrade, there may be no one in the school with prior experience in managing such a project and without proper guidance, there are plenty of mistakes that can be made. To ensure you avoid any pitfalls, here’s our advice on what to look for in a provider.

A start-to-finish company

The more companies involved in a playground upgrade, the more difficult it is to coordinate the project and this can lead to a range of problems. By working with a single contractor, you can be assured that right from the start of the design phase through to completion, everyone knows what, how and when everything is being done. You won’t have to wait for one contractor to finish before another starts, so the project can flow seamlessly from stage to stage and you’ll only need to communicate with one point of contact, cutting down the burden on school staff.

A provider that offers playground design

While it’s easy to get carried away looking for the playground equipment that you want installing, the most important part of any playground upgrade is the playground design. You need a provider that will inspect your existing playground to find out the opportunities it presents and the challenges you will need to overcome. These challenges can be to do with planning permission, building regulations, groundworks and drainage, access to underground water, sewage and gas pipes and various other things. An experienced company will look at the challenges and understand how they will impact any intended design, preventing you from running into serious problems down the line.

Once the challenges have been factored in, the more exciting part of using a company that designs playgrounds is how they can transform your space. Today, the trend is very much for creating different zones within a playground. These work to maximise the use of space, make the playground more appealing, increase accessibility and inclusivity, and improve safety.

Excellent customer service

Ideally, you should choose a playground provider that delivers great customer service in everything they do. You want a non-pushy sales team that understands your needs and budget and how busy you are. They should respond quickly to your communication and display knowledge and experience not just with playground equipment and installation, but in working with schools. In particular, they need to understand safeguarding and the need to work without disrupting lessons.

Outstanding playground equipment

When looking for playground equipment, it is important to find a provider that specialises in schools as they will offer more of the products you need. A school specialist will offer more than climbing frames, roleplay and messy play equipment. They’ll also have the outdoor seating and shelters pupils need, the sports equipment and markings that offer not just playtime fun but better PE lessons; plus they’ll have a wide range of specially designed curriculum equipment that lets you deliver subjects like maths, English and science outdoors.

Of course, you’ll also want that equipment to be safe, sturdy and long-lasting while being highly appealing to pupils and great to look at.

Fast professional installation

There can be a lot of work involved in a playground upgrade, especially where it involves landscaping and the laying of new surfacing. An experienced school playground provider will understand better than most the importance of getting the work finished quickly so that any disruption to the school is kept to a minimum. Work taking place not only puts the playground out of action; access for delivery vehicles may impact the use of the car park and movement around the building for a time.

An understanding provider will work with the school to make sure that disruption is kept to a minimum and that work is completed quickly and to schedule.

Beyond installation

When it comes to a playground, the needs of the school do not end once the installation is completed. There is an ongoing need to annually inspect equipment to make sure it is safe, maintained and fit for purpose. At the same time, some teachers may need training in how to make the best use of the equipment that has been installed, especially where it is to be used for delivering the curriculum.

With these ongoing requirements, it can be very helpful to choose a school playground provider that offers annual inspections and regular maintenance, and which delivers CPD for specific types of apparatus.

Conclusion

While it can be exciting to browse the wide range of school playground equipment available today, it’s important to understand the whole process that’s involved in getting the playground finished and ensuring it stays at its best long into the future. Working with a provider that offers a complete, end-to-end service, including design, inspection, maintenance and training is the best choice a school can make – especially when this comes with excellent customer service, outstanding products and professional installation.

ESP Play is a specialist, end-to-end, school playground provider. For more information about our services and products, visit our homepage.