Bringing all abilities together
Special Education Needs
Special education needs school playground equipment
Discover how inclusive, accessible playground equipment and designs enable children with wide-ranging abilities to play together and learn through a shared medium they all understand - play.
Engaging in outdoor play is crucial for children with special needs to enhance their health and foster positive learning environments, as well as to promote social inclusion. Our customized school playground equipment and educational play structures for special needs provide a secure setting that stimulates the senses, encourages imaginative play, and fosters prolonged concentration. Additionally, it creates an inclusive space for group play with other children.
The importance of SEN focused outdoor play equipment
It is crucial to let children move and discover their bodies naturally to promote physical and cognitive growth. Outdoor activities help to activate their senses and allow them to explore their sensory devices. Having accessible playground equipment is especially vital for children with special needs as it enhances their coordination, mobility, balance, and proprioception. It is easy to see why play is essential for special needs children as it helps them feel just like any other child.
Our playground equipment is designed to be inclusive for children of all abilities, making sure that every child feels valued during playtime.
Tips for designing inclusive school playgrounds
When designing school playgrounds with focus on inclusion and accessibility, it helps to incorporate the following school playground equipment and design features:
Sensory Play Elements: Add play panels and musical play elements that can be reached from ground level.
Playground Surfacing: Sand and woodschips can be hard to manouvre for children with mobility dissabilities. By choosing poored in rubber as your surface you get a high quality, easy to maintain and manouvre surfacing. It also allows you to create colour contrasts on surfaces to assist guidance.
Accessible playground structures: Choose playground equipment with ramps or wide access points for, e.g., wheelchairs to use.
Ground level playground equipment: Incorporate ground-level play options on your playground towers or climbing equipment, they are easy to access and make it possible for children of all abilities to play together.
Quite Areas: Make sure your school playground offers an area with benches and shading to withdraw to.
Solitary Play Areas: Can be individual play pieces, like playground carousels or play panels.
Below you can explore a selection of playground equipment to add to your inclusive school playground.
What SEN Playground Equipment should you choose?
6 Design Principles for Universal & Inclusive Design
Our products are designed to follow 6 principles for universal and inclusive design, ensuring that children of all ages and abilities have the right to play.
Accessibility
Multifunctionality
360-Degree Design
Diverse Play Opportunities
Clear in Colour & Design Signals
Providing Solutions for Special Needs
Learn more about how to plan and design inclusive playgrounds here.
"I would definitely suggest to anybody who is the head teacher of a school to do the same thing and to provide more equipment for children to play with, it has a huge impact on attendance, behaviour, confidence, friendship"
- Gayle MacDonald, Head Teacher at Corpus Christi Primary School, Glasgow, Scotland
Universal playground equipment derived from research and user participation
KOMPAN Play Institute collaborates with schools, education centres, and parents to construct interactive play areas that are safe and accessible. Our outdoor playground equipment for special needs is designed to promote motor learning, stimulate children's senses, and encourage socialization.
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