Special needs school desperate to replace adventure playground (From This Is Local London)

Special needs Oaktree School desperate to replace adventure playground

9:50am Tuesday 25th September 2012 in News By Hermione Wright

Students and staff from a special needs school are desperately raising money to replace an adventure playground which has fallen into disrepair.

The playground, in Oaktree School in Chase Side, will be removed during the October half term because it is becoming unsafe for the children to use.

The Southgate school, which caters for seven to 19-year-old students, will need £24,000 to replace the vital playing resource.

Half of the money is needed to replace the play area, and the rest will pay for a spongy floor surface under the equipment which will protect young people if they fall.

School bursar Brenda Kershaw said: “We are a special needs school and the interaction of being able to play outside on the equipment is good for them.

“They just love to be out there but the wood is cracking more and more each day and it is being taped off.”

The wooden play area is complete with ramps, slides, bridges and a plank and can fit 20 of the school’s 83 students at one time.

However, many of the area's bridges have been sealed off to prevent children from playing on the most damaged parts.

For the past year, staff andand students have been raising money through cake sales and raffles to help pay for a new playground. They have raised £7,000 in total for the new equipment.

Enfield's 23rd Scout Group and the Razzmatazz Theatre raised £700 by packing Asda supermarket bags for a day and the school auctioned an Arsenal football shirt to help pay for the equipment.

Ms Kershaw said the older students at the school are aware their playing space will be removed, but it will be upsetting for the younger children when they return to school after their half term break. 

The school is trying to work out its options to save the play area and are planning on approaching supermarket Waitrose to see if they can help.

They are also constructing a webpage to allow people to donate money towards the good cause.

Ms Kershaw added: “We are on the lookout for ways to raise money.”