I read the book quickly - it is very good as an overview of the issues and processes for developing a playground. I asked the school to buy one for the staffroom - I hope it might inspire them!

I went to a governors sub committee yesterday evening and presented my plans. Everyone is complementary about the plans - but I don't feel I'm getting much engagement yet - I 'own' it too much. I sensed from one comment that the staff think its nice but there is some scepticism about it happening. I understand that - it is hard to believe that it could happen, especially when there is no history or experience of such things. I know it will happen because I'm committed to it and when I commit to doing something I do it - even though I struggle with in on the way. And I did do it at Victoria.

There are !!! about the climbing wall - I realise I should call it a traversing wall - along, not up. There's a lovely picture of one in the book.

Today I went to Ashlyns to meet some year 10 students who need to do some community projects for a GCSE in citizenship. It's a new course so it's a bit experimental to me. In some ways I'm a bit sceptical about it as an acedemic activity but actually on reflection if they can carry through a playground project it'll give them some much more useful skills and experience than anything I did at that age! (such as parents in the future improving their children's playgrounds). There are two groups - the s group, who are keen. They used to go to TC, and quickyl decided to do a courtyard, which I wanted them to do. Some of the boys are a bit harder to engage, but we settled on doing a wildlife area. They all thought it was funny that I was proposing a staff garden - somehow they didn't think the teachers needed one! I left them with the plan and instructions to think about the projects and will meet them on site next week.

I also found myself advising a group of girls who are doing a project to renovate the garden area at Ashlyns. I'm pleased they are doing it as it's annoyed me everytime I've been there - It's a rather nice sunken garden detail full of horrid overgrown shrubs. It is quite ambitious though, though a lovely project.

I realise this is going to take quite a bit of work for me. Unpaid. However, I hope it will yield rewards, both in getting some projects done, and helping the students develop and learn - who knows, maybe it'll take some of them into careers. I suppose I'm doing my bit for the future and passing on my skills and culture, which I guess is the responsibility of old adults.

I've just discovered there is some odd editing going on - girl and adult have been deleted (not boy) - I guess it is our cybersitter, which has objections to all sorts of random words. I've switched it off and will see what happens now

A DHL man arrived this afternoon with a new book - and asking about my banana trees.

The book is 'Schools for the Future Designing School Grounds' published by the The Staionary Office (I liked it being called HMSO better).

It looks fantastic - lovely colour pictures. I haven't read it yet. It's very different looking to 'The Outdoor Classroom' published in 1990. The pictures should be useful to inspire people. Have written my name in it - I don't want it being pinched as I paid for it - £21. I shall see if the school will buy a copy for the staffroom.

Another useful book is ' School Grounds - a guide to good practice'. It contains things like sizes and layout of sports pitches, it was published in 1997.

The time given for the post above is wrong - I am not generally awake at 4.30am! Don't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

Back to TC:

I asked the children to take some survey photos. The children's photos were quite surreal - but I suppose to the point. They featured a lot a mud - as you can see in the example here. The chair on the field is not entirely random - it is marking some dog poo. I shall rant about that some other time - just to say what sort of people let their dogs poo on a children's playing field.....!!!! They also seemed to be concerned about litter - although presumably that is one thing they could do something about.

Hi! First post. The idea of this blog is to keep a record of the development of the school grounds at Thomas Coram Middle School in Berkhamsted, Herts, England.

My motivation for improving school grounds is to make them all as beautiful as possible. I supoose it goes back to childhood memories of standing in bleak tarmac deserts, with chilly winds and blazing sun, nowhere to site, nothing to do, being hit in the face with footballs. And I thought that was just what it was like - that is how playgrounds are and ever will be - just one of those things that children accept. And not just children - teachers, parents, everyone. Many years later, I discovered this was not so. When I was studying landscape architecture at the University of Greenwich I was introduced to Learning Through Landscapes and was given a project to develop ideas to improve a school playground in Greenwich. This opened my eyes to the possbilities that school grounds could and should be different.

My children were starting at Victoria First School - and so I tentatively started to work on plans to develop the grounds there. And after about 7 years they are lovely, the school is an eco school and has just had a fantastic Ofstead report. It is my belief that the school playgorund improvements there contributed to the school's success.

Of course you can't improve playgrounds alone. At Victoria for the first couple of years I got nowhere - it wasn't a priority for the school and I had no support. Then the new chair of the PTA (David F) took it on.We set up a committee of parents - with the new deputy head and a new governor; and it started - we planned, we raised money, we worked, and over time things happened. It was hard work, at times it could be difficult. But the rewards when you saw the children's response to the new playground - and from the teachers and parents was fantastic.

I also work professionally designing school grounds, for my employer, Jacobs. There it is very different - I am not involved closely with the school - I work as a designer, to briefs provided by the client (County Council and school), working on spaces left by the architects after new builds. I have reasonable budgets and professional contractors carry out the works. It is enjoyable to work this way - but it is only a few schools who get this opportunity; and I only provide a space, I don't know or affect what happens in it afterwards.

It is interesting to contrast the two ways of working; one is in the formal economy, professional, impersonal, unemotional, efficient, quick. The other is voluntary, no money, with love, slow, amateur, long term.