"The project picked up a momentum of its own - I introduced it to the school council, then other children wanted to be part of it, Year 5 and 6s got involved. Everyone collectively got together to make it happen."
Teacher from a winning school

About the scheme | The awards fund | The project team

About the scheme

Playground Partnerships encourages:

  • A pupil-led approach
  • Involvement of the whole school
  • Input from the wider school community
  • High-quality teaching and learning across the curriculum
  • Inclusion of pupils with special educational needs

There are categories for mainstream primary schools and special schools.

The scheme is supported by a FREE resource pack which provides a complete guide to the application process and a range of exciting activities to engage the children in real-life learning across the whole school curriculum.  The children's involvement in the scheme gives them significant learning opportunities and so serves as a valuable experience, even if the school chooses not to apply for an award or is unsuccessful in its application for an award this time round.

Who can apply?

Yes

  • Mainstream primary schools (4-11 years)
  • Special schools (primary) (4-11 years)*
  • State schools
  • Independent schools
  • Schools in these regions

*Special schools can additionally cater for pupils outside the 4-11 age group

No


Click here to order your FREE resource pack.

Playground Partnerships also supports the 'Every Child Matters' initiative and the Scottish 'Curriculum for Excellence' by encouraging children to make an effective contribution to their community, promoting a healthy lifestyle linked to play and, most importantly, making the scheme enjoyable and child-led.

THE AWARDS FUND

There is a prize fund of up to £250,000 available for 2008. You can apply for different-sized awards - £1,000, £2,000, £5,000 or £10,000. All schools that are shortlisted will receive at least £250.

We realise that schools have a wide variety of needs: some already have an impressive play space and only require a small number of finishing touches; other schools need a far more extensive facelift. Whatever is required, we want to help you make your school's dreams come true.

We are keen to see applications for the £1,000 or £2,000 as well as the £5,000 or £10,000 awards. If you only need a smaller award or only have limited time to put together your application, why not apply for one of the smaller awards?

Last year, over a quarter of the schools that submitted an application received a cash prize!

THE PROJECT TEAM

The support materials enable the children to do the groundwork for the project and to take significant responsibility for making a creative but realistic application.

Your school could form a Playground Partnerships project team to co-ordinate the project across the school. There are a number of roles - from Surveyors to Budget Managers to Designers - that can be filled by the children when putting together the application.

The resource pack uses characters to introduce these roles to the children and guide them through the support materials.

To find out more about the different roles that your pupils can fill, order a resource pack.