It is suggested that primary school children probably spend up to a fifth of their time at school on the playground; socialising, having fun, interacting with one another and, of course, burning off a little excess energy. I read with interest the Charter for Play (1) , published by Play England in which they defined play as ‘what children and young people do when they follow their own ideas and interests, in their own way, and for their own reasons.’
I love this definition and the fact the paper also referred to play as ‘what children and young people do when they are not being told what to do by adults’. It’s so important our children have the freedom to express their creativity and imagination in a safe and uninhibited way.
From simple thermoplastic playground markings to wonderful wooden towers and castles, our play spaces come in all shapes and sizes. Beyond the positive impact on our children, there’s a very real positive impact on the marketability of the school too – we mustn’t underestimate how attractive this type of investment appears to prospective parents.
Costs vary considerably with some of the more extravagant structures costing upwards of £20,000 with a full playground redevelopment costing many times more. So, how do we approach funding such a scheme? And where do we begin?
Listen to your children
The key driver for any supporter, whether they be a grant funder or a parent making a donation, is evidence of need and impact. “Why should I help you?” and “What difference will it make?” With so many others vying for their attention, these are questions that you have to be prepared to answer. Engage with your children first. They are the primary users, the beneficiaries, so make sure they play a part in shaping your project! What equipment do they want to play with? Where might it go? How might it be used and is this a play area that can be accessed and enjoyed by all children in the school?
This is such a critical point - The National Lottery (2) have even released a video to highlight just how important they regard this. They want to know that your beneficiaries have been listened to and have played a part in framing how the project looks. Perhaps you can take photos of your Student Council meeting to discuss the project with a potential supplier? Or, if you’re feeling creative, maybe a short video clip could help illustrate just how involved pupils are in designing this new play space. Many grant funders allow applicants to upload photos and video content these days so take advantage of this opportunity. Consider the possibility of coming up with a name for your project and involve the children in this.
Maybe you could launch a simple competition as this helps engage parents and broadcast your aspirations beyond the school gates.
Recruit your ambassadors
“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Theodore Roosevelt’s quote is very apt when it comes to school fundraising. A genuine and emotive campaign is more likely to connect with your support base and stimulate a positive response. Involving pupils and parents early on helps engender a sense of ownership and responsibility. Bring them on board and make sure they feel part of the collective effort. They can enjoy the successes too.
Manage the campaign
There are so many ways to approach fundraising for capital projects like this. Much will depend on the amount you’re looking to raise, your school circumstances and operating environment. My suggestion is to consider all avenues and select multiple routes to funding – an over reliance on one source can be hard work and unrewarding. Be realistic about your aims and break the project into two or three phases if you need to.
Crowdfunding is growing ever more popular, with platforms that are free to set up and simple to manage. Most providers will charge somewhere in the region of 3-5% of the funds raised. Keep your message punchy and to the point. Sell the value of the donation and the impact each one can have. Upload images (playground suppliers can provide nice graphics to help) and link the page to your website and social media.
Grant Funders will want to see that you’ve made every effort to raise funds yourself so make sure you tell them what you’ve been doing – the work of the PTA, school contributions, sponsorship etc. A successful fundraiser is a great storyteller – paint the picture and take the funder along on your journey. Articulate clearly your case for support – why this is needed and the evidence you have to prove this. Make use of a good grant finder website as these are invaluable when it comes to identifying eligible grant options for your project. Their filters and search facilities make them easy to use and the subscriptions costs are minimal.
Local business owners may be parents of children in the school and are worth approaching with an offer. People love to support tactile, physical projects with a tangible outcome. Your bright, shiny new play area is a highly visible space and will attract a lot of attention. Attract sponsors with the promise of their name/logo on a donations board and an invitation to the “press launch”.
PE & Sport Premium could be considered for such a project, but you have to be really careful as the DfE do not permit its use on capital-based projects. However, the Association for Physical Education (4) have some really useful guidance on this, including details on the 5 key indicators that schools should expect to see improvements in, as a result of the spending. https://www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/wp-content/uploads/5-Key-Indicators.pdf
If you’re creative and demonstrate sustainability and impact then your Sports Premium could be an option. Speak to your local Active Partnerships too as they’ll have suggestions on appropriate routes to funding https://www.sportengland.org/campaigns-and-our-work/active-partnerships
Shout from the rooftops!
Even the very best campaigns fail to get off the ground if they’re not marketed properly. You don’t need a slick PR campaign but just give a little thought to launching the project and how you follow up with reminders and reposts. The school website will always be the primary portal for information so make sure your campaign is visible and can be accessed quickly with just one or two clicks. A banner across the top of the home page, a scrolling tickertape or a new “Fundraising” tab really does help convert interest into action. Remove the barriers – make it easy for people to help you.
Obviously social media is ideal for this type of promotion so provide links to your crowdfunding page from Twitter, Facebook etc. You can add a hashtag to your new project name too!
Conclusion
As educators we strive to ensure the school environment can deliver on our commitment to provide young people with the very best start in life. Suitable play spaces form part of that commitment. The 2021 annual report on education spending in England (3) indicates that school spending per pupil has fallen by 9% in real terms over the last decade. This represents the largest cut in over 40 years. Pressures on school budgets are relentless and that’s unlikely to change any time soon. Giving thought to some of the ideas in this article might just help your school deliver that wonderful new playground in 2022.
References:
(1) https://www.playengland.org.uk/charter-for-play
(2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R_SDoWCuFE
(3) https://ifs.org.uk/publications/15858
(4) https://www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/advice-on-sport-premium/
Justin Smith
Chameleon Consultancy and Training Ltd
www.chameleon-training.co.uk