Double Soft Play Area at St Gerard's School

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Introduction

At St Gerard’s Special School in Belfast, creating purposeful, inclusive spaces that truly meet pupils’ needs is a top priority. As part of their move to a brand-new school building, the foundation stage team identified the need for high-quality, engaging resources that would support physical development, sensory needs, and emotional wellbeing.

Creative Activity was delighted to work alongside St Gerard’s to design and install a bespoke, double-level soft play area that would give pupils opportunities they might not otherwise have access to - all within a safe, supportive environment.

Background

St Gerard’s new school site is a modern, single-level building with no stairs or changes in elevation. While this offers accessibility benefits, staff quickly recognised a gap in opportunities for pupils who seek movement, climbing, and physical exploration as part of their learning and regulation.

The foundation stage team wanted to invest in a high-quality soft play solution that would:

• Support physical development and coordination

• Encourage exploration and confidence

• Be fully safe, soft, and suitable for pupils with complex needs

• Offer experiences that some children are not yet ready to access in the wider community

They approached Creative Activity to help bring this vision to life.

The Challenge

The key challenge was creating vertical play opportunities within a building that had no stairs or elevation. Many pupils showed strong preferences for climbing and movement, and staff knew that without a dedicated solution, these needs would be difficult to meet safely.

The space also needed to be:

• Purposeful and meaningful, not just visually appealing

• Fully soft and safe for free exploration

• Flexible enough to support physical, social, emotional, and communication development

The Solution

Creative Activity worked closely with Alison Franklin and the foundation stage team, developing several design proposals and refining them through open discussion and collaboration.

The final solution was a bespoke, double-level soft play structure, designed specifically for the pupils at St Gerard’s. The two-level design provides safe climbing opportunities, encourages exploration, and allows children to experience height and movement in a controlled, padded environment.

Every element was carefully considered to ensure the space was:

• Safe and fully soft

• Engaging and motivating

• Aligned with the pupils’ developmental needs

Installation was completed over the summer holidays, ensuring the space was ready and waiting for pupils returning in September.

Results

The impact of the new soft play area has been overwhelmingly positive.

Pupils now enter the space with visible excitement, happiness, and confidence. For many children, this is an experience they do not yet have access to in the community, making the space an important stepping stone in developing both skills and independence.

The soft play area supports:

• Physical development: climbing, balance, coordination, and movement

• Communication and language: through play-based interactions such as “ready, steady, go” games

• Social skills: turn-taking, waiting, and shared play

• Emotional regulation: offering a space for movement-seeking pupils to regulate in a way that suits them

The freedom to explore the space in their own way has been particularly beneficial for pupils who need regular movement throughout the school day.

Feedback 

“We really wanted to invest in high quality resources that met the needs of our pupils. Working with Creative Activity and the design team allowed us to develop a soft play space that our children truly deserve. The children have responded amazingly.”
— Alison Franklin, Head of Foundation Stage, St Gerard’s Special School

Staff highlighted the strong communication throughout the project and the collaborative approach taken during the design process. With installation completed over the summer, pupils returned to school in September to a brand-new space ready to explore.

Following the success of the double-level soft play installation, St Gerard’s Special School is looking forward to working with Creative Activity again on future projects.

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