Schools loving playground equipment made in prison

Go-karts and wooden dens made by prisoners have been donated to a primary school as part of a scheme to improve playtime.

Pupils at Parkfield Community School in Alum Rock, Birmingham, have been testing out the new equipment, crafted in HMP Birmingham.

About 15 schools in the city have been given similar equipment by the prison, which also includes mud kitchens, tunnels, benches and a bus made out of wooden pallets.

Eleven-year-old Year Six pupil Zakariye, who had never been on a go-kart before, said riding on it was the "highlight of my day, it is a 10 out of 10".

The donations are part of a development programme run by the independent not-for-profit community interest company OPAL, which stands for Outdoor Play And Learning.

According to them, children in British primary schools spend 20% of their attendance in play.

Their programme aims to enable schools to provide children with opportunities to be creative, collaborative and active.

As part of it, they bring into the playground items from businesses and organisations in the West Midlands.

Ruth Blayney, OPAL mentor for the area, approached HMP Birmingham to see whether it wanted to be part of the project.

"They were really keen to do it, it is very purposeful for the inmates, it is a great use of their time and their skill and they are doing something which is useful for the local community."

The programme has been in development for the last year and the items are made in the up-cycling woodwork workshops.

"We've had a huge range of items made so far, we have had mud kitchens, tunnels, benches, some dens, a whole bus made out of pallets, we've had a helicopter built out of pallets," Blayney said.

"Lots of our schools are trying to put together a really great play offer but with very little time, capacity or financial budget, so it's a really good opportunity for schools."

Daniel Dowson, assistant head teacher at Parkfield Community School, said: "The children love it, they absolutely love it."

The school talked about where the equipment had come from during assembly.

"We feel it is really important for the children to understand how things are made - that also supports the children taking ownership of the equipment and appreciating what is on offer," he said.

Dowson added that the project gave the children a chance to play with items they would not usually access.

"These innovative ideas and concepts are something we could never have had before," he said.

"We are hoping to bring in lots more play equipment from the prison, we are grateful for the prison offering it to us, and we want to enhance our provision further."

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