Sovereign Play

Case Study - Ropley C of E Primary School

A summary of the project from our Area Manager, Richard Pennington:This was a longer term project which we visited back in February 2023. We had previously installed at theschool 5-6 years ago, a small bespoke canopy, in a tight area. The school were so pleased with this, Maria hadbeen in contact with Richard to visit again in February. There was two stage project they wanted to achieve.One of the areas was to place a long pergola outside the main classrooms, to provide an extension to theirinternal classroom. Overall length was 24m x 4m. We even installed dividing walls between the outsideclassrooms. The other project, Richard had been out previously to measure up with the idea of turning thearea into a garden.The school had lost someone associated with the school for many years and was known within the village.Norma had been at the school for a very long time and was part of the fabric of the school. They wanted to dosomething in her honour! The development of the garden was seen to be a fitting gesture for the long termmemory of Norma. We included a number of gameboard tables on to new artificial grass.Our main Gazebo acted as their outdoor classroom they had desperately wanted. The idea with some newfence panels, was to have an archway with Norma’s name engraved on it. From the main playground, youenter the area via ramp / bridge under the archway and into the garden!The funding from East Hants came in around the August time as advised by the school. We quickly got to workand started end of September / October with everything completed in November.”What the school had to say!"“Sovereign listened to what we wanted and didn't try and push us to buy something we didn't need. The equipment is good quality and has been installed professionally. We are looking forward to many years of use.”Maria Burr, Office Manager
What were the reasons for starting your project?We wanted to make better use of our outdoor space and be able to use it all year roundHow did you discover Sovereign and why did you choose us?I have used Sovereign in the past and have a good relationship with Richard PenningtonWhat was your experience of our design and installation process?The installation team were great! They were friendly and accommodated the children throughout the day. They were happy to answer questions from the children and got used to having an audience while they worked! The project was installed quickly and efficiently and has been a great success. I would say the only negative is that the working area could have been left cleaner as we were using the school playground as an equipment and material storage area and it took a lot of cleaning and sweeping after the install team left to make it useable again. Lots and lots of screws left on the ground too.
How has our equipment impacted or benefitted your school/organisation?The areas have been hugely beneficial. We were able to have some of our Christmas Fair stalls outside under the canopies and we use the outdoor classroom every week. The children love the space and the cover from the weather is very gratefully received by the parents at the end of the day!What was your overall experience of having Sovereign fulfil your project?Overall a very positive one. Richard stayed in touch throughout and we were able to fix any queries or issues quickly and painlessly. We were very happy overall.