“At West Hampstead Primary School we are always looking at different ways of making sure that our school environment is a place where all children can flourish.” It was a pleasure to echo their values in an ambitious playground installation with no compromise for the best for their pupils.
A Carefully Planned Transformation Delivered Play Value and Accessibility
At West Hampstead Primary School, Commercial Play was invited to transform an early years playground into a dynamic, safe, and engaging environment. Despite challenging site access and the need to preserve an existing tree, the project was completed smoothly, and to the delight of the school community.
The Challenge
- Access to the area was restricted, limiting equipment deliveries and installation space
- A mature tree stood at the centre, which needed preserving throughout the construction process
- The site required a fresh, safe surface and engaging play features — all delivered with minimal disruption to school routines
Our Approach
- Multi-stage installation of new surfacing, including colourful wet-pour, artificial grass of varying depths, and rubber mulch
- Playground markings to support games, learning, and movement
- Removal and careful repair of existing equipment, seamlessly blended with new installations
- Seven new play items added: a sandpit, accessible play cabin, party blocks, curved timber bridge, tunnel mount, treehouse platform, and picket fencing
Key Features Summary
- Wet-pour surfacing in four vivid colours
- Artificial grass in varying depths for tactile and safe play
- Rubber mulch for added cushioning and texture
- Playground markings promoting structured games and movement
- Seven engaging new elements: sandpit, double-access play cabin, party blocks, curved bridge, tunnel, treehouse platform, and picket fence
- Existing structures repaired and integrated thoughtfully
- Central tree preserved, maintaining shade and character within the design
Results & Benefits
- Environmentally thoughtful: Installation managed to accommodate the tree at the centre and minimise disruption—even succeeding on time
- Visually dynamic: Layers of colour, texture, and play value make the area feel fresh and inviting
- Engaging & inclusive: Play elements support a wide range of activities — from creative to physical — in a compact footprint
- Low-disruption installation: Careful staging ensured school life continued with minimal interruption
- High satisfaction from staff: The school’s Business Manager praised the “professional service… flexibility… attention to detail,” and noted the team “finished the project early within our allotted time schedule.”
This was a dream project for us to carry out, it had it’s challenges for access and ensuring the build caused as little disruption as possible – we managed it though!
Involving extensive preparation of ground works the surfacing took place in several stages, including preserving the centre feature of an existing tree and installing a bespoke tree house.
Before & After
Before
The early years area was dated and lacked cohesive play zones, with limited engagement opportunities and plain surfacing.
After
The space now bursts with colour and opportunities. Zoning invites climbing, imaginative play, storytelling, and sensory discovery — all while preserving the beloved tree and enhancing safety and accessibility.
TESTIMONIAL
Alongside Commercial Play we undertook a major renovation of our early years playground. This involved a whole new surface incorporating wet pour and artificial grass along with numerous play structures.
Paul Dougan – School Business Manager
I have to say from the initial meeting with Commercial Play and the subsequent tender process I was extremely pleased with the professional service we received from Nigel as Projector Manager through to the design team that visited the site and gave us the vision of how it would look and what we could achieve within our budget.
Nigel was really flexible and managed to accommodate all our differing wants and needs to his credit as we seemed to change them on a weekly basis.
Once the design work was complete and costings finalised we moved onto the installation. This is where I was worried due to previous experiences with other contractors who ran late or delivered poor quality.
I was pleasantly surprised that my fears were unfounded as Jamie and his Commercial Play install team were absolutely brilliant. They worked every hour they could and actually finished the project early within our allotted time schedule. The quality of product was excellent and the attention to detail from the team. They left no stone unturned to ensure the playground met all our expectations. There were a couple of snagging issues that needed attention but Jamie was so helpful in attending the school at times that suited us.
I would recommend Commercial Play to anyone and will be using them again for the next part of our outdoor development programme.
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