Case Study: Swaffham SEN School – Adventure SEN Playground Installation, Norfolk
- Absolute Play
- Feb 28
- 3 min read
📌 Project snapshot
Sector: SEN Education
Age range served: Mixed
Key objectives: Inclusive adventure playground to support physical development, imaginative play and social interaction, while providing appropriate challenge levels for a wide range of abilities within a brand-new specialist school environment.
Equipment type: Mixed Material - predominantly pressure treated timber
Surfacing: Artificial grass and Wetpour
Budget: Approx. £100,000
Project summary - SEN Playground Installation
Swaffham SEN School is a brand-new specialist education facility designed to provide an inspiring and supportive environment for its students. As part of the new school development, Absolute Play was commissioned to design and install a large-scale adventure playground to support both physical challenge and imaginative play.
The completed scheme delivers a diverse and engaging play environment, combining climbing, swinging and sensory play opportunities across three distinct zones.
The brief
As part of the construction of the new school, the outdoor play environment needed to reflect the same high standards as the building itself.
The playground needed to:
Provide meaningful physical challenge suitable for SEN pupils
Encourage imaginative and exploratory play
Offer inclusive opportunities for a wide range of abilities
Be durable, safe and suitable for long-term school use
Integrate across multiple areas within the external space
The layout was split across three separate zones, each requiring different types of play experiences for this SEN Playground Installation.
Our solution
Short, simple bullets.
Key equipment:
Clamber Stack Madrina with slide – creating a visually striking centrepiece and offering varied climbing and sliding challenges
Bespoke four-deck tower unit – designed with multiple access and exit points to encourage exploration and confidence-building
Inclusive swing combinations – including group swings and inclusive seats to support shared play
Additional clamber stack unit – providing further climbing opportunities
Multiple swing bays – including flat, group and inclusive swing options
These elements were carefully positioned across three zones to create a balanced and engaging overall play experience.
Design approach:
The playground was arranged to provide a variety of play types across the site, ensuring pupils could experience everything from dynamic climbing and swinging through to social and imaginative play.
The Clamber Stack Madrina and tower unit form key focal points, naturally drawing children into the space and encouraging movement and exploration.
Swing zones were positioned to provide inclusive and shared play opportunities, which are particularly important within specialist education environments.
Materials & surfacing
A large play-grade artificial grass safety surface was installed across the main play areas.
This included:
30mm pile height premium artificial grass
Bonded rubber crumb safety sub-base up to 45mm
Suitable for critical fall heights up to 2.1m
Fully permeable construction for effective drainage
This surface provides:
Excellent safety performance
Low maintenance requirements
Year-round usability
A bright and welcoming appearance
All equipment was manufactured using durable, long-life materials suitable for high-use education environments.
Installation
The project was delivered in collaboration with main contractor R G Carter as part of the wider school construction programme. Careful coordination was required to ensure the playground installation aligned with the overall site completion schedule. The project included full ground preparation, installation of safety surfacing and installation of all play equipment across the three designated zones.
The outcome
The completed playground delivers a high-impact, engaging outdoor space that perfectly complements this outstanding new specialist school. The variety of climbing and swinging opportunities encourages physical development, confidence and social interaction, while the inclusive design ensures accessibility for a wide range of abilities. The finished space provides both challenge and enjoyment, supporting the school’s mission to create an inspiring and supportive environment for its students.
Absolute Play is proud to have contributed to such an important and meaningful project.
Looking to create something similar?
If you’re planning a new play or sports project and would like an early budget or design ideas, get in touch with our team.
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