St Giles - Retford

Matt Rooney, head teacher and board member at St Giles School in Retford approached Play Creations to enhance their SEND school through a personalised softplay installation. The vision included creating two inclusive rooms: a soft play area and a fully interactive sensory/movement room, supporting the school’s “No DREAMS are out of reach” ethos. This ethos promotes the schools unwavering commitment to empowering students with complex SEND needs and challenges. They foster the idea of creating a tailored curriculum so that all learns can reach their highest acadmeic and personal goals.

The goal for the two rooms included providing a stimulating and colourful softplay design brief, focusing on accessibility and sensory engagement for the SEND children. We wanted to address these goals by creating a calming sensory experience and a safe and secure softplay area to balance the differing needs of all the children at St Giles.

Our team conducted a site visit to align with Matt’s goal of providing accessible, engaging spaces that foster resilience and learning for students with diverse needs. After a building a detailed survey and collaborating with Matt for feedback, we developed a design brief for a inclusive sensory room, movement area and secure softplay, tailored to suit different SEND capabilities. This included ongoing maintenance to ensure lasting safety and enjoyment, all crafted by our expert softplay design team, using premium UK-sourced materials. Our detailed site survey addressed the school’s unique requirements, integrating features to support physical and sensory engagement, aligned with St Giles’ commitment to a positive learning environment. The project required creative solutions to overcome some of the challenges that the students and staff at St Giles faced. To ensure complete accessiblity to all the students (including those in a wheelchair), we manufactured movable retaining blocks to ensure that there was wheelchair access to every room. Bespoke framing was crafted for pupil assist lifts across the softplay and sensory room where required. This involved a lot of back and forth between our design team and St Giles' in order to ensure every aspect was exactly the way that they needed it, and would benefit staff and students alike.

Optimised for safety, the softplay room featured a compact, secure frame. All the equipment was manufactured with commercial grade vinyl and foam, carefully constructed to limit the chance of accidents in the area. Exploration and proprioceptive movement were the key ideas behind the design for this area. We made sure to plan for non-slip matting to enhance the safety and accessibility in both of the rooms.

Meanwhile the sensory room included interactive lighting and a large open space to enjoy the lighting and explore all the different segments. Along with a movement segment that encourage exploration within a safer and more open layout then the softplay. Designed to co-exist with the sensory experience the movement area allows for crucial motor skills to be supported in a calming environment.

With a softplay budget of £45,000 spread across both of the rooms, we ensured that both rooms were maximised without becoming overwhelming or overstimulating to the SEND children. We wanted to make sure that Matt got his moneys worth of equipment, whilst still maintaining the correct atmosphere for his pupils. With this in mind, the project was completed within budget and timescale. Completed in 2021, the softplay room features a safe and accessible frame designed with softplay shapes and bespoke climbing elements, using non-slip mats to ensure full accessbility across the room. With softplay features designed to promote sensory exploration and proprioceptive feedback the play frame included equipment such as:

• The ever popular Dizzy Disc, designed to regulate the bodies nervous system.
• Horizontal Rollers, implemented to develop the bodies motor skills and problem solving skills
• Cube and Wedge Flooring, added to create a safe obstacle course for the children to explore

Complimenting this, the sensory and movement room included features such as:

• Interactive lighting such as the LED Fibre-Optic Strands, designed as a tactile, multi-sensory stimulation that can help with visual tracking and reduce anxiety.
• A trampoline with bespoke framing design for pupil assist lifts.
• Various softplay balance blocks included to promote movement and student development with their balance, motor and explorative skillsets.

Our expert softplay design team executed a precise installation, ensuring both rooms seamlessly integrated into St Giles School’s facilities, ready to support students’ developmental and sensory needs. Every aspect has been thoughtfully designed to cater to pupil's specific needs, ensuring a safe and engaging space within the school. The installation of St Giles School's indoor softplay was executed expertly by our softplay team, ensuring the 2 rooms were seamlessly intergrated into the existing space. Working closely with the team at St Giles, we co-ordinated a smooth and efficient install, overcoming the challenges faced when expanding an existing play structure. Delivering a robust, safe and secure structure to meet the high standards for safety, quality and functionality.

Matt and his team at St Giles school were so pleased with the final results, loving how we thoughtfully designed specifically for their childrens needs. We worked within their timescale and met strict deadlines throughout the entire process, from design to manufacturing and then the final install. The aim for their indoor softplay was to create an interactive, calming and secure experience for all the pupils. Our team were so happy working alongside St Giles to bring their vision to life, and here at Play Creations we're so happy to have the opportunity to expand the schools capabilities towards children with SEND.

Our ongoing relationship with the school has flourished, with Play Creations providing regular maintenance to keep the play area in pristine condition, to ensure that students continue to enjoy a safe and functional experience. This partnerships reflects both Play Creations and St Giles' dedication to the students at their school and creating inclusive spaces for those with SEND needs.

Does your school require a space for children with SEND needs? Reach out to us today to start designing yours! Play Creations maintains a strong partnership with St Giles School, providing regular maintenance to ensure both rooms remain safe and functional. The soft play and sensory/movement rooms have become vital spaces, empowering students to engage, explore, and achieve their potential in a supportive environment. This project has reinforced St Giles’ reputation as “a positive place to learn,” aligning with their mission to make every student’s dreams attainable through inclusive, innovative facilities.