Playground and Sports Surfacing for Schools and Academies

Last updated October 2026

Play and Sport Surfaces plans and installs playground, sports and track surfaces for maintained primaries, secondary schools, academy trusts and independent schools across the UK. Typical 2026 prices run from about £40 to £140 per m2 for wetpour under play equipment, £6,000 to £12,000 for each 100 m of daily mile track, and £190,000 for a fenced, floodlit MUGA, all excluding VAT. Most jobs are timed for a school holiday, so the survey is best booked a term ahead.

The cheapest job on a school site, a refresh of worn lines, is also the only one the PE and sport premium is clearly allowed to pay for.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Typical school surfacing jobs, UK, excluding VAT, 2026

Job	Unit	Typical price (excl. VAT)	Source	Confidence
Wetpour under play equipment	per m2, about 100 m2	from about £40 to £140	Redlynch Leisure, 2026	Low
Play-grade artificial grass	per m2, about 100 m2, before ground preparation	from about £40 to £60	Redlynch Leisure, 2026	Low
Daily mile track	per 100 m of track	from about £6,000 to £12,000	Abacus, May 2025	Low
Marking designs bought as kits (no fitting)	per design	£131.19 to £938.52	StartSafety, Oct 2026	Medium
New MUGA, macadam, fenced, floodlit	782 m2	£190,000	Sport England, Q4 2025	High
Resurfacing an existing MUGA	per m2, 713 m2 court	about £36	Wickham Parish Council quotes, Feb 2025	Medium

Installed thermoplastic markings are priced on survey, because no installer publishes a figure.

What do schools usually ask us to surface?

Five jobs make up most school enquiries: safety surfacing under play equipment, a MUGA or ball court, playground markings, a daily mile or running track, and resurfacing of an old tarmac yard. Many schools combine two or three of them in one summer so the site is only disrupted once.

Each job has its own page with full prices: MUGA pitch construction, school playground surfacing, school playground markings and daily mile track installation.

Can the PE and sport premium pay for it?

Only for upkeep of what you already have, not for anything new and permanent. The DfE guidance for 2026 to 2027 says the premium must not fund capital spending, and its list of capital items includes multi-use games areas, active mile tracks and fixed playground equipment. The example it gives of allowed spending is repainting playground lines on an existing surface.

So a markings refresh can usually come out of this year’s allocation, while a new MUGA or track needs capital money. The guidance also says unused premium cannot be carried into the next year, and that the DfE cannot advise on individual cases, so check borderline jobs with your local authority or trust.

How much PE and sport premium does a primary school get?

For 2026 to 2027, a school with 17 or more eligible pupils receives £6,240 plus £10 per pupil, and a school with 16 or fewer receives £390 per pupil. That is enough for a line repaint or a share of one, not for a new surface.

Is CIF an option for an academy playground?

Possibly, but it is a long shot for surfacing alone. CIF is open to stand-alone academies, small trusts with fewer than five schools or under 3,000 pupils, sixth-form colleges and small voluntary aided bodies. Bids run from £20,000 (primary and special) or £50,000 (secondary) up to £4,000,000, and the fund puts compliance and health and safety first. Playgrounds are not named as a priority, and “resurfacing car parks” is the guidance’s own example of low-priority other works.

Bids for 2026 to 2027 had to be in by midday on 16 December 2025; results came out in May 2026. A surfacing bid is strongest where a failed surface is a documented safety problem, backed by an inspection report and an itemised quote.

Which other funding can a school use?

Sport England’s Movement Fund offers £300 to £15,000 and will match what you raise from your community, and a council funding finder lists educational establishments as eligible. Parent associations and local trusts fund many playground projects too. The guide to funding sports and play surfaces sets every route side by side.

Can the work be done in the summer holiday?

Yes, and that is when most school jobs are booked. The site is handed back before term starts, and your quote sets out the time on site once the ground has been surveyed. Smaller jobs such as markings or a patch repair can often fit a half-term instead, because they need only a few dry days.

The constraint is booking, not building: summer slots fill first, so a spring survey gives you time to agree funding before you commit.

How is the site kept safe if pupils are in?

The working area is fenced off from pupils, with deliveries and plant moved at times agreed with the school. Your site manager agrees the access route, the compound and any out-of-hours working before the start date, and Alex Winser stays your single contact throughout.

Who inspects play surfaces once they are down?

An independent inspector, at least once a year. RoSPA says the annual inspection should be carried out by a specialist not connected with the playground operator, and that inspections should follow EN 1176 part 7. Your own staff should check the area at least weekly and keep a record. See playground inspections for what each check involves and costs.

What’s included

• Survey of the area, levels, drainage and access for plant
• Itemised written quote, with funded and unfunded lines separated if you need them for a bid
• Ground works, base and surface as quoted
• Markings, edging and making good to surrounding areas as listed
• A programme agreed around your term dates
• A final check with your site manager before handover

What’s not included

• VAT, which is shown as its own line
• Play equipment supply, unless listed (installation is covered on its own page)
• Planning applications, unless listed; new fencing, floodlights or a MUGA may need one (see the planning permission guide for courts and pitches)
• Bid writing: we provide the costed quote, and the school submits the application

Illustrative example

This uses only the table above and is not a real job. A primary school plans two jobs in one summer: a 100 m daily mile track and a repaint of its existing playground lines. The track budget is £6,000 to £12,000 excluding VAT and has to come from capital or a grant, because the DfE names active mile tracks as capital. The line repaint is maintenance of an existing surface, so it can usually be paid for from the PE and sport premium.

Who does the work

Play and Sport Surfaces is a WeDo Property Services service. Alex Winser runs each school project from the first call to handover, the surfacing teams carry out the work, and Alex deals with your site manager, bursar or trust estates lead as the job needs.

Often needed alongside

Schools refreshing a playground often add playground inspections to the same contract, and every figure on the site is gathered on the sports and playground surfacing costs page. If a MUGA is part of the plan, see MUGA cost for a breakdown.

FAQs

Do you work with academy trusts across several schools?

Yes. Each school gets its own itemised quote, and a trust can group them into one programme.

Can we get three quotes from you for our finance policy?

We give one itemised quote. Your policy decides how many you need from different firms.

Can PE and sport premium pay for a MUGA resurface?

The guidance allows maintenance of existing assets but names MUGAs as capital, and the DfE cannot rule on individual cases. Check with your local authority or trust before committing.

Do you supply play equipment?

We install equipment you have bought and surface under it. Supply comes from the equipment maker.

Is the survey free?

Ask when you enquire. Survey arrangements depend on the size of the job.

What should a school send for a quote?

Photos, a site plan or rough sizes, the jobs you want, your term dates and any funding deadline.

Sources

• DfE, PE and sport premium guidance for primary schools, updated 24 Sept 2026
• DfE, Condition improvement fund 2026 to 2027: information for applicants, 2025
• Sport England, Movement Fund, read Oct 2026
• Bath and North East Somerset Council, funding finder: Movement Fund, read Oct 2026
• Sport England, Facility Cost Guidance Q4 2025, published Feb 2026
• RoSPA Play Safety, Inspection and maintenance of playgrounds, updated Mar 2026
• Wickham Parish Council, Recreation Committee document pack, 27 Feb 2025
• Redlynch Leisure, Wet pour rubber, Sept 2026
• Redlynch Leisure, Artificial grass, May 2026
• Abacus, Daily mile track costs, surfaces and installation guide, May 2025
• StartSafety, Playground marking kits, read Oct 2026