Designed by Students, for Students

Over many years, students on the East Campus Primary School Student Council have campaigned to have improvements made to their Primary School playground. With the goal of improving the student play experience, notable enhancements include the addition of a loose parts section for imaginative and creative play, the purchase of additional playground equipment such as tabletop games, the installation of a 'community' piano, and the creation of a dedicated Friendship Corner.

This progress is the result of proactive efforts to gather feedback, ideas, hopes, dreams, and suggestions directly from fellow students, facilitated through their elected Student Council Representatives (Reps).

As co-creators of the project, our students exercised student agency, actively unpacking their learning, understanding their roles in contributing towards positive change and inspiring others to do so too, as our UWCSEA Mission compels us to do.

From Idea to Realisation: A Collaborative Journey

“The best classroom and the richest cupboard are roofed only by the sky” – Margaret McMillan, Nursery Education Pioneer

Our students fearlessly took the lead in the development of the new playground, actively participating in every stage of the process. This included envisioning how they wanted their play spaces to look, reviewing their peers’ ideas, to deciding on which of the different tenders and proposals to choose. As far back as September 2021 (yes that’s at least how long the students have been campaigning for this) the Student Council Representatives surveyed and collected feedback from their Primary School friends as they understood that collaboration was the most effective way to make a difference. With over 1000 students in the East Campus Primary School, this was no easy task. There were lots of different opinions and ideas but it soon emerged there was a need for different zones, namely a Chill Zone, Creative Zone, Challenge Zone and Zen Zone.

The Power of Outdoor Play

Guided by UWCSEA’s Conceptual Understanding – Through exposure to nature, individuals can develop empathy, become environmental stewards and sustain their wellbeing, our intention behind the new playground was centred around key concepts such as spaces, freedom and exploration that could help us reimagine the central role of play in developing children as learners.

The sense of freedom and connection to nature that outdoor play allows fosters a sense of calm and tranquillity which is vital for self-regulation. We must embrace the power of play, not as a set period twice a day, but as an essential ingredient for nurturing the developing brain and shaping the future of our children.

Unveiling a Personalised Playground

Finally in August 2023, after a two-year wait, our students, many now in Middle School, get to enjoy their multi-zoned playground with dedicated areas for low, medium and high-intensity play. Students also had the chance to personalise the playground, coming up with names for these zones such as ‘Gardens by the Beanbags' to ‘Changi Airport – get ready to fly’.Reflecting on Term 1 since its inception, our students have actively interacted with every aspect of their new playground. Each day unveils a deeper appreciation for its remarkable transformation—a magical space where creativity, challenge, and imagination truly come to life.

The playground now stands as a tangible outcome of students' agency, empowerment and leadership in their learning journey. Through their hard work and effort, they were able to turn their ideas into a real playground that mirrors their journey as changemakers—curious, capable, and competent individuals with rich potential and valuable experiences in learning.

Designed for curious young minds, the redeveloped playground on East Campus encourages explorers to investigate the world at their own pace and with their own unique intentions.

Zones were set up to suit a variety of activity levels—from low to high-intensity play.

‘Changi Airport–Get Ready To Fly’
semi active zone

This zone is for medium intensity play, suited for 5–12 year olds. Within this zone children can play on the flying fox, a swing set, trampolines, spinner bowls, wacky spinners and rock climbing cubes. Needless to say, this is a popular zone with students during break time.

'Creativity Cove’ low active zone

These are dedicated spaces for low intensity play and are made up of smaller ‘Chill’ and ‘Creative’ spots where students can dream up new tunes on the community piano, build the next miniature skyscraper with building blocks or lounge in our Gardens by the Bean Bags with a good book. Students can take time out to relax and chill in these spaces whilst still enjoying themselves.

‘Slidescrapers’ active zone

For children aged 6 and above, this is the zone for high-intensity play with various challenging components including hammocks, climbing nets, monkey swings, and slides.

The story behind the playground

Primary School Principal of UWC South East Asia's East Campus, Pauline Markey, shares more on the rationale and journey towards this improved playground.

Read the full story