Bell Block School

Play it safe at school

Tū Māia (standing brave) is one of the values of Bell Block School in New Plymouth in the North Island of New Zealand. When the school’s existing playground was upgraded to meet the latest health and safety regulations, Playground Centre and the school’s leadership team joined forces to create a solution that not only supported students to play safely but also bravely.

Aim of the game

Playground Centre was asked to custom-design, manufacture and install a modular play structure in the school playground. Using the configuration of the original structure as a foundation, we included two new towers with slides, a climbing frame and other equipment, boosting the challenges on offer and supporting the students’ physical development and dexterity.

With more than 35 years’ experience in playground equipment for schools and compact playspace design, Playground Centre’s in-house experts and safety-accredited certifiers ensured the compact, multi-play space adheres to the safety standard (NZS5828:2015).

Taking pride of place in the school’s grounds, the new and improved play structure was also designed to incorporate the school’s emblem on the towers’ panels and one of the school’s colours which is a distinctive blue that represents the strength and adaptability of the nearby rivers and sea.

Fun with serious benefits

Now junior students at Bell Block School from year 0 to 3 can challenge themselves on the compact playspace that supports them to build their confidence, encourages social interaction, and invites them to stretch their imaginations as well as their muscles.

The cleverly designed play structure combines a dozen or more activities in a single, connected and space efficient design that allows everyone to share the same playspace, but each child to choose their own level of difficulty.

Children can bravely climb, slide and balance from the large tower and platform onto the large slide, rock wall and log bridge. Others can stay engaged on the medium-size tower, second slide, rock wall, ladder, fire pole and rugby climb. The hand and foot climber and scramble net are the smallest pieces of equipment, to encourage the youngest ākonga to tū māia (stand bravely).

School playground design that leads the way in New Plymouth and across New Zealand

With more than 35 years’ experience in school playground equipment, we have the safety expertise to squeeze the most amount of fun into a compact footprint. We consistently deliver safe and high-quality modular play systems to schools across New Zealand, Australia and around the world, working together to design and manufacture personalised play spaces which reinforce school values.