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Projects
EYFS Garden for Windsor Learning Partnership
📍Dedworth Green First School, Windsor
🗓 August 2025
Introduction
Dedworth Green First School is a school for children aged 3-9 years on the western edge of Windsor and is part of the Windsor Learning Partnership, who pride themselves on their family atmosphere. As part of their facility, they have a nursery for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where they encourage outdoor learning as much as possible. This is because they understand that children act and play differently outside, therefore being outdoors provides holistic learning opportunities for their EYFS pupils that they cannot get indoors.
Area of installation
Brief
A representative at the school met with Martin to discuss ideas for their EYFS garden that they wanted resurfacing as their current Wetpour had been installed over 15 years ago. The staff emphasise the importance of having areas that are bright, vibrant, stimulating and interactive, so this was something to consider at the design stage.
Solution
The nursery had stated that they wanted to brighten up the area, while still having the capability to use their existing equipment, like their mud kitchen, construction materials, planter beds, bikes and tricycles. Our solution was to use the surfacing as the main play feature in the playground, by adding a roadway and themed zones, as well to separate the different areas for different activities.
There were also signs of puddling in the area, so drainage and permeability were something else to be considered at the design stage.
Project Details
Due to the poor condition of the existing surface, we decided to remove the Wetpour that had been installed, to create an even, consistent base for the new surfacing to be installed onto. This makes the area less hazardous for the children, as there is less of a trip hazard, and makes the space more inclusive. We then opted to install Artificial Grass as the play surface; this decision meant that we could include all the play features the nursery required while remaining on budget. Artificial Grass is our preferred surface for playgrounds since it is low maintenance and cost effective for schools and nurseries. This material is also permeable which helps with the drainage of rainwater.
We installed Multi-Play Artificial Grass in the form of a roadway, so that the children had somewhere to cycle and scoot, aiding their physical development. Having this roadway also assists pupils in their development of mathematics and understanding to world too, as they can practise number recognition and numeracy along with real life road safety skills.
We used different colours of Funky Artificial Grass to create zones for open-ended play, using equipment that the nursery already had that the children loved. For example, we added brown artificial grass around their planter bed to create a designated planting zone, and construction stripes into the area where they would use their building materials and take part in loose parts play. We also created a ‘river’ using blue artificial grass – this establishes a clear path to the door in addition to encouraging imaginative role play in the area.
Result
“Our EYFS garden needed a lot of work to bring it back to its full potential and what better way to create this was to ask The Playground Company to come in and completely transform the space!
A hardworking, dedicated team arrived onto site and set to work. 2 weeks later we have the most beautiful garden that the pupils are going to love.
Thank you so much from us all at Dedworth Green First School. “ - Site Manager