Case Study
Hennock Primary School
Playground and Outdoor Learning Groundworks
Hennock Community Primary School is a small village school near Bovey Tracey with a playground that was no longer fit for purpose.
Parts of it flooded and became waterlogged, and the surface had deteriorated so badly that some areas couldn’t be used by the children at all.
A wider community project was set up to transform the space into a new playground, nature area and outdoor learning environment. JMJ Groundworks was recommended to the parents’ committee and brought in to deliver the groundworks that the whole transformation depended on.
Over just over two weeks, our two-man team prepared the site, set the levels, installed drainage and built the sub-base, paths and foundations for the new outdoor space. The school stayed open throughout.
Project Overview
Client
Link Academy Trust
Project
Playground and outdoor learning area transformation
Location
Hennock, near Bovey Tracey, Devon
Duration
Just over 2 weeks
Services
Site preparation, levels, drainage, sub-base, concrete foundations and external works
Scope of Work
JMJ supplied the labour and plant for the groundworks, using a 3-tonne excavator and 3-tonne dumper.
Our works covered:
- Initial site strip, trimming and level preparation
- Setting levels throughout the new playground areas
- Sub-base preparation for the new playground surfacing
- Importing and exporting materials
- Drainage works
- Constructing and preparing pathways
- Bases and foundations for new planters
- Concrete foundations for shade sail posts
- Concrete works and surfacing preparation
- Landscaping and associated external works
Project Challenges
Working in a live primary school
Hennock Primary School stayed open throughout the works, so our team was excavating, moving materials and carrying out groundworks while pupils and staff were on site. Construction areas had to be carefully segregated, and every activity was planned around keeping the children safe and the school day running normally.
Very restricted access
Hennock is an older village school with very little space around its buildings. Manoeuvring plant, bringing materials in and taking spoil out all had to be coordinated carefully, so the works never got in the way of the school’s day-to-day running.
A Community Project
What made this project stand out was the support it received from the local community. JMJ was one of several local businesses that got involved, alongside Bridge Civil Engineering, Aardvark and Dean Wilkie Construction, as well as parents, volunteers and local residents.
We carried out our works at cost to help make the project achievable for the school. It was great to see local contractors and the community working together, each contributing their own skills and resources towards something that would directly benefit the children.
Delivery
Despite the restricted access and live school environment, our team completed our element of the works safely and within the required programme.
The focus throughout was on getting the groundwork right beneath the finished surfaces. Correct levels, effective drainage, a properly built sub-base and solid foundations for the planters and shade sail posts were all essential to creating an outdoor space that wouldn’t flood or deteriorate the way the old one had.
Results
JMJ successfully delivered the civils and groundworks element of the project alongside REDS, completing the full 32-week programme at Heathrow.
The project transformed a problematic and partly unusable area into a new playground and nature-rich outdoor environment. The finished space gives the children room for play, planting, outdoor learning and a shaded area behind the classrooms.
Because the drainage, levels and sub-base were properly prepared, the school now has a far more resilient outdoor space that it can use for years to come. The project was very well received by Link Academy Trust, the school, parents and the wider community, and it was covered in the local press by The Moorlander and Devon Live. JMJ was invited to the official opening, where a member of our team saw the children using the finished space.
For us, this project wasn’t about commercial value. It was a chance to use our team and equipment to contribute to something worthwhile in our local community. It also shows that the groundwork beneath a finished area matters just as much as what people see on the surface.
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