Commercial Playground Design for Schools & Nurseries
Commercial playground design is the process of planning a safe, engaging outdoor play and sport space around your site, pupils, curriculum and budget. Commercial Play designs school and nursery playgrounds in-house and free of charge, turning a survey of your space into a costed, buildable scheme.
What does our commercial playground design service include?
Our commercial playground design service covers the whole scheme on paper before anything is built: a measured survey of your space, a zoned layout matched to your age groups, and a specification of equipment, safety surfacing and markings with a clear, fixed cost. One team designs and installs it, so the drawing you approve is the playground you get.
Every design pulls the separate parts of an outdoor space into a single plan, so nothing falls between contractors.
- A measured site survey and a zoned layout matched to your pupils
- Play equipment graded by age, paired with the right BS EN 1177 safety surfacing
- Games markings, sport and MUGA areas, and canopies or shelter where they fit
- Access, sightlines for supervision, and quiet or sensory zones
- A clear, fixed cost you can take to committee, with phasing to a budget
How does the free playground design process work?
The design service is free and starts with a no-obligation site visit. We survey the space, talk through how you want it used, then produce a custom design and a fixed quote, all before you commit a penny.
The process is deliberately simple: we measure up and listen, draw a costed concept, refine it with you, then build the scheme you sign off and finish with a safety handover.
What makes a good school playground design?
A good school playground design earns its space: it zones play by age group, matches every piece of equipment to the correct safety surface for its fall height, and builds in sightlines, access and quiet areas, not just equipment. We design for the curriculum, wellbeing and daily wear rather than a catalogue drop-in.
That means grading challenge for early years, primary and secondary pupils, planning supervision sightlines, designing in inclusion and SEN provision, and phasing ambitious schemes so they fit a real budget.
How much does commercial playground design cost?
Commercial playground design is free when we carry out the work: the survey, the layout and the costed design come at no charge and with no obligation, and you only pay for the installation you approve.
We design to a budget you set, so the scheme is affordable and can be phased across terms or financial years if the full playground is more than this year's funding allows.
Why choose Commercial Play to design your playground?
Commercial Play designs and installs playgrounds in-house across England and Wales, so one team owns the scheme from survey to safety sign-off. We design around your site and pupils rather than a house template, specify equipment and BS EN 1177 surfacing together, and phase the build to your budget.
Because the same team draws and builds the design, the finished playground matches the plan you approved, with no gaps between separate contractors.
Playground design: common questions
Is the playground design service really free?
Yes. When Commercial Play carries out the work, the design is free: the site survey, the zoned layout and the costed scheme come at no charge and with no obligation. You only pay for the installation you approve.
Do I have to buy the installation if you design it?
No. The site visit, design and quote are no-obligation. You are free to take the design to committee, phase it over several budgets, or keep it for reference. Most schools work with us because the design and the build come from one team.
How long does a playground design take?
A typical school playground design takes one to three weeks from the site visit to a costed layout, depending on the size of the scheme and how many revisions you want. Larger multi-zone or SEN projects take a little longer.
Can you design around our existing equipment and budget?
Yes. We design to the budget you set and around equipment worth keeping, so a scheme can be phased over several years. We survey what you have, retain what is sound, and plan the new work to sit with it.
Do you design for SEN and inclusive play?
Yes. We design inclusive and SEN playgrounds with wheelchair-accessible equipment, quiet and sensory zones and step-free surfacing, so every child can play alongside their friends.
Does the design include the safety surfacing?
Yes. Equipment and surfacing are designed together, because the safety surface is specified to the free height of fall of each piece to BS EN 1177. The design shows both, so the quote is complete rather than a surprise later.
Ready to design your playground?
Book a free, no-obligation site visit and we'll survey your space, design it around your pupils and budget, and give you a clear, fixed quote.