If you have immediate concerns about the safety of a child you should get in contact straight away, using the numbers below:
020 7641 4000 (9am to 5pm weekdays) Access to Children's Services Team
or
020 7641 2388 (outside of these times) - Emergency Duty Team
Hornimans Adventure Playground
Hornimans Adventure Playground exists to provide facilities for play and recreation for children aged between 5 and 16 years who live or attend school in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and surrounding boroughs. It aims to:
Improve the quality of life for all children attending through the provision of adventure, enterprise and free play which promotes physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Provide, maintain and equip a safe and adventurous play environment staffed by qualified and trained playworkers and volunteers who create a warm and welcoming environment that enhances the development of attending children.
Provide a varied, fun and stimulating range of activities and off-site trips that meet the social, cultural, educational and recreational needs of children aged 5-16 years.
Seek and value children’s involvement and input at all levels and encourage them and their parents to take an active role in the running of the playground.
Work to raise people’s awareness of the importance of play in children’s lives and encourage the support, participation and active interest of local people in the running of the playground.
Promote equality and inclusion and project a positive image of children (e.g. those with disabilities, behavioural problems and ethnic minority groups).
The Playground comprises:
Outdoor adventure play structures suiting the needs of differing age groups/abilities
a goat pen home for our pygmy goats, Ronald and Timothy
an open hard-surface area for sporting activities, and a ‘quiet’ garden which we use for gardening.
The wheelchair-accessible building comprises:
large hall for indoor activities
art room
kitchen
music room / study room
office and equipment storage and access to a disabled toilet with shower.
A daily tuck shop is provided where a child can purchase a snack & drink for a nominal sum.
We provide children with a broad range of exciting play opportunities designed to help them develop their full potential through activities/workshops that are free, multi-cultural and promote creativity, imagination and self-expression. Providing play opportunities to include Physical, Environmental, Creative, Cultural, Imaginative.
Children and young people aged between 5 and 16 years
Providing a free, challenging, safe, play space for disadvantaged children & young people promoting physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing and meeting the educational, emotional disabilities, or behavioural needs of the child
Meeting the children’s social, cultural, educational and recreational needs.
Child safety – providing a safe, supervised space to play and meeting the rights and choice of a child to play
How do you access this service?
Parents/Guardians/Children/Young people can access the service by walking in, speaking with one of the playworkers and requesting a registration/membership form that must be filled out by the legal guardian before a child can stay on the playground without their parents. Once the form has been filled in and the relevant information submitted by the legal guardian, children can have access between the open hours of:
Term times: 3.30 – 7pm, Monday to Friday
Saturdays: 11am – 5pm
Holiday periods: 11am – 6pm.
On daily attendance, a child must sign thei names (in/out).
A child who is 5 must be school aged 5 and in year one to access the playground.
We do not cater for children who are reception aged (five and under).
Parents are asked to be aware that we are a child centred play space and that adults (other than playworkers) are not able to be on the adventure playground area or on the play structures.
How do we ensure the quality of this service?
All staff, volunteers, management committee members and anyone who has contact with the children on site complete Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Forms.
Mandatory training: Child protection, First Aid, Health & Safety, Drugs Awareness. In-house training on site.
Quality In Play
Staff trained to Level 3 Diploma in Playwork
Ofsted Voluntary Register
Local Offer Age Bands
Secondary (11-16 years) Transitions to Adulthood (16+) Primary (4-10 years)
We want our Local Offer to be as helpful and easy-to-use as possible. All feedback from parents, professionals and young people with SEND is invaluable and we continuously act on suggestions to improve the website. Could you help us by completing our short survey about your recent experience?