Commercial Play

Outdoor play and sport spaces for schools across England and Wales

Commercial Play is a specialist playground and outdoor-sport company that designs, supplies and installs complete outdoor play and sports areas for schools, nurseries, councils and public play areas. Its work spans safety surfacing, commercial playground equipment, canopies and shelters, MUGAs, fencing, sensory, themed and inclusive SEN play, and playground markings. The company presents itself as a single point of contact able to carry a project from design through groundworks, surfacing, equipment and installation with its own teams.

The firm states that it was formed by directors with more than 25 years of combined experience in outdoor sport and play projects, and that it operates from Midlands and South offices while delivering projects nationwide.

What the company designs and installs

The service catalogue is organised around the different elements that make up an outdoor play or sports space:

• Surfacing: wet pour, rubber mulch, artificial grass and other safety surfaces.
• Canopies and shelters: canopies, shelters, gazebos and outdoor classrooms.
• Sport and fitness: MUGAs (multi-use games areas), sports courts, running tracks and outdoor gyms.
• Play equipment: agility trails, climbers, towers and trim trails.
• Themed play: imaginative play, role-play and playground markings.
• Fencing: security, sports and decorative playground fencing.
• Sensory play: sensory gardens, water play and tactile play.
• SEN and inclusive play: inclusive, wheelchair-accessible play.
• Repairs: inspections, repairs and playground renovation.
• Playground markings: thermoplastic number, sports and games markings.

Safety standards and project handling

Every project is described as designed and installed to the relevant British and European standards: BS EN 1176 for play equipment and BS EN 1177 for impact-absorbing surfacing. Handover includes post-installation inspection reports, and the company offers ongoing maintenance and aftercare.

The stated working method follows four stages. It begins with a free, no-obligation site visit in which the space is measured and the intended use discussed. A design, layout and fixed quote follow, with options to match budgets and phasing. Installation is then carried out by the company's own in-house teams rather than sub-contractors, working around term times and school routines. The process closes with handover, inspection reports and aftercare.

Sectors served and recent projects

Commercial Play lists nurseries and pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, SEN and special schools, councils and parishes, and public play areas among the settings it works with. It also states that it designs age-appropriate play, surfacing and sensory areas scaled for nursery and reception children.

Among the projects shown on its site are a playground redesign and resurfacing at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Swindon, described as a retail and commercial scheme; a coloured corner canopy and play surfacing at St Mark's, delivered on a tight, hard-to-access site; and a large-scale outdoor play scheme at John Keble CE Primary School in London.

Testimonials cited on the site

The company reproduces comments attributed to school staff. A business manager at a primary school in the West Midlands refers to a new trim trail and wet-pour surface installed for a KS2 playground. A SEN deputy head at a special school in the South East highlights a sensory garden designed for SEN pupils. A headteacher at a primary school in Surrey mentions a MUGA used from breakfast club through after-school clubs and community hire, installed around term dates.

Editorial resources

The site includes a blog with practical guidance on planning, funding, surfacing and maintaining outdoor play and sports spaces. Published articles address playground design ideas for schools by zoning space for active, quiet and imaginative play; an explanation of what a MUGA is and how to plan one for a school; and the cost drivers and rough budget ranges involved in a school playground project.