Guest Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 We are moving to our new building in September. We are a three form entry school and are now at the point where we are ordering furniture. We already have some Early Excellence shelving but wondered if there were any similar shelving units that are just as good but a little cheaper. I have had a quote from Community Playthings but it blew our budget away. Any help much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 A very warm welcome to the forum Humphrey :1b I was going to suggest Community Playthings but see that you already looked there....... Don't you have access to a 'County Supplier' for such things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 we use ikea!!!! managed to kit out the pre-school for £2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 always look on ebay......................BUT why not buy CP items to what you can afford, then build up?? It's how I have done it.It might also be worth ( forgive me here) looking to see if any of the children's centres in your area are closing down, as they all seem to be kitted out with CP furniture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 and I have bought things from cheaper suppliers over the years,including Galt and Ikea and nothing lasts...............only CP give you 10 years peace of mind. Money wellspent 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 and I have bought things from cheaper suppliers over the years,including Galt and Ikea and nothing lasts...............only CP give you 10 years peace of mind. Money wellspent ah yes but I could replace my ikea units every year and still not spend the same amount as CP would cost me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynned55 Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 (edited) I have to agree with Narnia over CP stuff- its the best! We store all our equipment in an outdoor shed, so twice a week it is wheeled/carried in and out over tarmac into a shed with a 'pebbledashed' floor. Virtually everything we have bought on wheels over the years has broken on us, we currently have a beautiful bookcase that has been stuck in our shed since January as a wheel broke off (again) (Not a CP one). We once bought a beautiful storage thing from Ikea, the purpose was to have various boxes inside that the children could access themselves. The first time we filled it up, we didn't even get out of our shed with it! A wheel broke off and that was that! We are now at the point where we just don't trust anything else. I just wish it wasn't quite so expensive! We have over the last year purchased a lot of CP furniture and partitions in stages. We were lucky enough to get just over a £1000 last year from a 2 year grant, so used that. Plus we have done a massive fundraising drive that raised us another £1000. Not only has it made life so much easier in packing away and storing but it looks so lovely as well. Edited April 24, 2016 by lynned55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperrabbit Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 I have to agree with Narnia over CP stuff- its the best! We store all our equipment in an outdoor shed, so twice a week it is wheeled/carried in and out over tarmac into a shed with a 'pebbledashed' floor. Virtually everything we have bought on wheels over the years has broken on us, we currently have a beautiful bookcase that has been stuck in our shed since January as a wheel broke off (again) (Not a CP one). We once bought a beautiful storage thing from Ikea, the purpose was to have various boxes inside that the children could access themselves. The first time we filled it up, we didn't even get out of our shed with it! A wheel broke off and that was that! We are now at the point where we just don't trust anything else. I just wish it wasn't quite so expensive! We have over the last year purchased a lot of CP furniture and partitions in stages. We were lucky enough to get just over a £1000 last year from a 2 year grant, so used that. Plus we have done a massive fundraising drive that raised us another £1000. Not only has it made life so much easier in packing away and storing but it looks so lovely as well. Wow! And it all fits in a shed?! I'd love to see a photo of your shed when packed away - how sad am I!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 yes, finleysmaid........................you could buy the same stuff again............and again......................and again............................and again............but what a chore and how soul destroying to have to keep on doing it ( not to mention how bad it is for the environment.......it all has to be shipped in from China...........and you have to dispose of it somehow? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynned55 Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 It does, its like a jigsaw puzzle and if not put in correctly wont fit!! I'll take a photo one day and show you. I hate Monday mornings when we first open it. I should say though that we have no 'outdoor' stuff in there, that is in another shed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 yes, finleysmaid........................you could buy the same stuff again............and again......................and again............................and again............but what a chore and how soul destroying to have to keep on doing it ( not to mention how bad it is for the environment.......it all has to be shipped in from China...........and you have to dispose of it somehow? ) Actually the majority of their wood comes from Europe and I haven't had to replace any of the furniture in the last five years! also we have a strong ethos of recycling in the setting so I always do that with any wooden equipment I know you are very fond of CP and have a good relationship with them Narnia but i'm afraid I cannot justify their prices. We have just got some grant funding and have bought their outlast blocks but the service was terrible and they mucked up the delivery ...there was no apology for the inconvenience they caused so i'm afraid having given another chance they blew it again . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Nope, I am a fan of good quality and good service......................and that's exactly what I have always had from CP, that's why I am a fan. I don't know why you think I have a good relationship..........I'm a customer and I am always treated with respect. I have only once had a problem and they resolved it quickly, amicably and politely. I have always found that they want to get things right, from the start. Even when i have bought old stuff from ebay and needed spares, they have gone the extra mile to sort me out. Many other companies I deal with are rude, unhelpful and downright horrid and so they don't get my business again. In the end, you get what you pay for, that's why save up to buy the very best I can. Glad you've had so much luck with the Ikea stuff.....it didn't last in my setting and that's what I got fed up with, good money down the drain, but it saw us through until we could improve things Oh yes, and I bought a very old CP snowplough on ebay. When it arrived, one of the side panels was broken...........so I phoned CP to ask if by any chance, they carried spare parts. Sadly, they didn't, but they asked me to send it to them and they actually MADE a new part for it and sent it back free of charge, no charge for repairs either. That's service.That's going the extra mile I'd be interested to hear what you think of the outlast blocks...........would love to have some Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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