How to secure a children's play area

Allowing children the freedom to play outside is essential to their development and there is mounting evidence to promote the health and social benefits of outdoor learning. Creating a dedicated safe play zone will also distract children away from more hazardous play opportunities.

There is no point investing time and money in identifying a range of child-friendly equipment and activities, if the play zone is rendered unsafe by the installation of inappropriate fencing and gates.

Choosing the correct fencing is paramount to creating a safe enclosure for children to play in.  The design of the fence needs to take into consideration a number of factors:

• There should be adequate spacing between the pales to prevent the potential for entrapment of limbs
• Gate hinges should be mounted to avoid further entrapment risks
• Hinges should feature tamperproof screws and bolts
• All gates must deliver a clearance of between 60 – 110 mm to reduce scope for a foot becoming trapped underneath the gate
• There should be a minimum of 12 mm between the gate and the gate post, to prevent a child becoming caught in the gap
• All gates should be presented in a different colour to help children / parents avoid any fear associated with not being able to identify the exit quickly 
• All timber fences must be regularly checked to ensure there are no rotted pales / posts which can result in splintering of the wood, which presents a further risk to children

Spiked railings, barbed wire and fleur-de-lys split fence pales are totally unsuitable for a children’s play area.

All Jacksons Playtime® Fencing in both timber and metal are RoSPA approved, timber fencing is guaranteed against rot and insect attack for 25 years, and metal fencing is also supported by a 25-year service life guarantee.  Jacksons Playtime Fencing is compliant with BS EN 1176.