Elburton Primary School Jubilee Playground

During our original crowdfunding campaign, we successfully raised £17,360 thanks to 151 wonderful supporters. We are now continuing to accept donations to enable us to keep benefiting the pupils at Elburton Primary School, Plymouth. Find out more about our original plans below.

Project aim 

2018 is the 50th anniversary year of our school and we'd like to mark the occasion!  Our current playgrounds were created for just 240 pupils at the school in 1968, and more space is needed for today's larger school community. There are now 420 pupils, age 4-11 using just 2 small playgrounds for their playtime. We want to update the outdoor facilities by building a new Jubilee playground.

Our school has builders on site creating two replacement classrooms and the opportunity has arisen to build an additional playground on an area of the school site that will be freed up.  It is cost effective to add the playground to the current build but there are no funds to do so. We are raising money to make this idea a reality. We want to give our children more space, and a safer, more enjoyable area to relax, socialise and play in. We believe that this is important for our children's mental and physical health.

David Bradford said:
"After 21 years as the headteacher at Elburton Primary I have witnessed some minor changes to the outdoor space for our pupils, but we have never gained anymore physical space for the sports activities our children would like to partake in in their lunch and break-times.  When I got the position of headteacher Elburton Primary I thought of Elburton as a suburb of Plymouth, but it really is so much more than that.  Elburton is its own community with the school really as a hub of the village.  This Jubilee Playground will not only be incredibly valuable for the children and staff alike, it will also be able to be used by the local community groups."

Community

Elburton Primary School is very much a part of its local community. The playground areas and outside space are used to host fairs and events that are open to the wider community.  We organise a circus every two years, as well as Christmas and Summer Fairs, which are open to all. The playgrounds are also used by after school clubs and other organisations. For example, Girlguiding are using our school grounds for their Plymbury Festival, and extra playground space will help us develop these links further. The outside areas are also used for sports activities to ensure that the children are given opportunity to have healthy exercise. Community activities have included 7-a-side football, and coaches from Oaks Rugby Club training the rugby team. Our project is to build an extra playground to ensure there is sufficient space for everyone, strengthening our school community, as well as attracting more external groups to our facilities.  

Stepping Stones preschool has also recently amalgamated with Elburton Primary School. Children aged 2-4 from the preschool also have the opportunity to use the outdoor facilities and will benefit from the Jubilee playground.

How to help:

• Please support our fundraising ... we only have 5-weeks to hit our target.
• PLEDGE YOUR CASH and choose your special THANK YOU 'REWARD'
• Then spread the word to your friends, family and business contacts via email and social media: #elburtonprimaryschoolpta  

What the money will be spent on

Our Crowdfunder appeal is part of our wider fund-raising to secure £35,000 in total. This amount will pay for the cost of levelling and surfacing a new playground, with the installation of suitable drainage and a retaining wall.   Please note that the existing field space will remain largely unchanged.

Plan of the existing area

Plan showing the proposed new playground

Extra funds

With any extra funds we would love to make the playground an enjoyable space with sheltered seating, and playground markings / equipment. The children are involved in designing their ideal Jubilee playground, with the school council helping to judge the best ideas. Ultimately we hope to provide a fun and stimulating environment for the children at the school and the wider community. 

Here is one design of the finished playground, drawn by a year 3 pupil:

Who we are

We are Elburton Primary School's Parent Teacher Association. We are a registered charity (No.1085221) which raises funds to advance the education of the pupils at the school by providing, and assisting in the provision of, facilities for education at Elburton Primary School here in Plymouth, UK.  All parents and carers are automatically members of our PTA whilst their children attend our school. The PTA is actively raising funds through the voluntary efforts of parents, carers, teaching staff and friends in the form of community events for our school playground.  
Our current project is ambitious, but will be a great way to mark the 50th Anniversary of the school. We feel strongly that helping to provide a third playground, for all pupils to benefit from, is hugely worthwhile and we hope you can support us.