The bleak and barren playground at Cwmaber Junior School in Caerphilly left pupils and staff uninspired and desperate. Playtime boredom was becoming as issue, and teachers were left wanting a space that would help them bring the curriculum to life.
Luckily, their need was recognised and the school was chosen as the Welsh finalist in the RBS Dream Playground competition. With £10,000 to spend the school council, along with Mr Edwards, the teacher who had nominated the school for the competition, set about planning their Dream Playground. It soon became clear that the children wanted a stage to practice performances. As a keen Eco-school they wanted somewhere to grow plants, and more social spaces were needed as the pupils tended to cluster around the edge of the empty playground.
The school council took the lead on the project and looked into resources available that would help them achieve their aims. The school is in the heart of an old mining village and the pupils were keen to gauge the community’s opinion too. To do this they drew up a huge poster displaying all the pieces of equipment they liked, design suggestions and ideas for activities. Everyone from pupils and staff (teaching and non-teaching) to members of the community and even the Welsh Education Minister, Jane Hutt AM, were invited to vote for their two favourite suggestions.
The children used the poster to draw up a shopping list, taking care to stick to their budget. After he had seen the poster, one member of the community kindly offered to make a storytelling chair, a friendship stop and some large planters. The children were very keen to include these, but had thought them too expensive, so they appreciated this kind donation very much. They invested their prize money on an African hut which would give them somewhere to perform at playtime as well as providing an outdoor classroom for more formal lessons. One of the most popular choices on the poster was a trim trail and the school found a local Welsh company that could provide one within their budget. The children also wanted to be able to eat their lunch outside, but by now their money had run out. So, the school organised a sponsored walk and raised enough money to have four tables with gaming boards installed in shadier parts of the playground.
Winning the prize has just been the beginning of improvements to the Cwmaber’s outdoor spaces. They are eagerly awaiting the installation of a solar powered water feature, another kind donation from a parent, and have dreams of including a pirate ship. With such a fantastic response from the whole community, this dream may just come true..
