Town Close School – Delivering a lasting impact to schools

Pete Dean, CAP.CO's Head of Happiness, spent nine years as a Head Teacher of Poringland School before joining the team, and his focus on play always put the wellbeing of children and adults at the heart of the curriculum. So it was never going to be a surprise that his role at CAP.CO would offer schools more than just the design and build.

As a team, we believe play is just the start of what we deliver. We're just as passionate about inspiring children and adults to embrace play as part of their personal and physical development.

A very special school

Town Close School is a very special independent school in Norwich. It is part of IAPS and has a brilliant reputation locally and nationally. When Pete visited for the first time, he was struck by the way the school makes use of its outside space, with plenty of opportunities for play and beautiful paths connecting the children to the trees and nature around them. Pete has openly said it's the best use of outside space he's seen on his travels around hundreds of schools in the UK.

It's very important to the whole team that when we work with schools, we connect the project to the children and the wider school community. As part of that, we love to deliver a thought-provoking assembly as a way to bring the children into the project.

Design rooted in local history

The design for the play scheme at Town Close is centred around a Wherry Boat Yard, replacing an old and tired play structure that had reached the end of its life. Town Close has a wonderful connection to How Hill Trust in the Norfolk Broads - the Boardman family originally lived at Town Close and built How Hill as their holiday home. How Hill is now a popular residential venue for schools, and Town Close's Year 8 children stay there every summer. It's this history that gives the Wherry Boat Yard such a meaningful connection to the school and the story of its founding.

Bringing the whole school onboard

On the official opening day, Pete led an assembly for the whole school, including the Head and all of the staff. The discussion centred around the importance of play and physical activity, with children and staff alike considering how important it is for children to be active and outside at school. Pete also shared the design process, giving staff and children a look at how a project like this comes together, from the thinking to the creativity behind it.

The assembly closed with a competition and an extra challenge. The Wherry Boat needs a name, and the children have been tasked with coming up with something in no more than three words. The winning entry will become the final piece of the build, staying in place for years to come. The bonus challenge invited the school's most creative children to design their own play structure, to be shared with Pete, with the chance to sit down with one of our talented play designers and hear about their own journey through school and university into a career designing play at CAP.CO. Pete will be back before long to see how the children are using the space and measure what impact it's had.

More than a build

The project at Town Close is a reminder that we don't just design and build something unique, special and beautifully crafted. We aim to leave a legacy, by bringing the children into the project too, helping them understand why play and active learning matter.

The picture shows Anna Linsmith (Deputy Bursar) Cassie Cox (PTA Chair) and Pete Dean (Head of Happiness) from CAP.CO.