KS2

Monkspath Junior and Infant School

1 min read

Located in Solihull, near Birmingham, Monkspath Junior and Infant School is a thriving three-form entry setting supporting children from Nursery through to Year 6. As a new Phoenix Play customer, it’s been fantastic to see such a strong partnership develop so quickly, with the school already recommending us to others in their local community.

The brief was bold and exciting. Having recently removed their previous large climber, the school wanted a replacement that would stand out from the crowd. It needed to be BIG, visually impactful and, most importantly, provide a meaningful physical challenge for their KS2 pupils. The aim was to create an active space that could support lots of children at once while developing strength, coordination and confidence.

Working closely with the school, we designed a dynamic play space centred around the Oak Climber, the hero piece from our unique Legends of the Forest range. With multiple access points and a wide variety of traversing and climbing challenges, the structure creates that sought-after “jungle gym” feel while engaging the whole body - from upper and lower strength to balance and core stability.

To maximise participation, we incorporated additional elements such as rollover bars, ensuring more pupils could be active at the same time. Grass mat surfacing was introduced to support all-weather use, and careful positioning of the climber close to existing pathways ensures the space remains accessible throughout the year.

The finished result is a bold, high-energy environment where pupils can challenge themselves, build resilience and enjoy active play together. The feedback from Monkspath has been fantastic, with the school so pleased with the outcome that they’ve already recommended Phoenix Play to neighbouring schools. In fact, one local school visited the site and was so inspired by the scale and quality of the Oak climber installation that they placed an order shortly after!

A brilliant example of how the right design can transform a space into something truly memorable - where play pushes boundaries and confidence can grow every day.

"Feedback from both children and staff has been really positive since the installation. All of the children we have spoken to say they really enjoy playing on the equipment, particularly features such as the cargo nets and the higher platforms. The area is extremely well used, with children excited and eager to access it during playtimes.

The children enjoyed the term time installation as they could see the equipment being installed which generated a lot of interest, including from families at the end of the school day.

From initial consultation to implementation the whole process of working with Beth & Phoenix Play ran very smoothly, with clear communications ensuring a really positive experience".