How do you make a school playground ready for outdoor PE?

From the 2023-2024 school year, Dutch primary schools must give every class two hours of PE per week; the law was passed in 2020. NU.nl recently reported that last November a third of municipalities said it would be a challenge to fit all classes into gyms for two hours a week. The Mulier Institute surveyed 172 municipalities and found that large cities in particular lack space. More and more PE lessons are therefore expected to take place outdoors.

Primary school PE

André de Jeu of the Association of Sport and Municipalities (VSG) encourages primary schools to think creatively when there aren't enough gyms. According to him, good examples of PE outside the traditional gym are emerging. PE teachers are indeed becoming more creative and the traditional PE lesson has long ceased to be the norm. Still, they need the facilities to give good and enjoyable lessons time and again, with safety first.

Sports playground

Because PE will increasingly take place outdoors, municipalities and schools need to discuss the options together. Some schools can use nearby sports facilities such as sports parks, sports halls or swimming pools. Others will look at turning their own playground into a sports area.

Fitting out the playground

Modular sports floors are ideal for school playgrounds. These multifunctional floors can be used indoors and outdoors and offer important benefits for children doing sport. Tripping over loose paving stones or twisting an ankle in a hole in the grass is a thing of the past. Shock absorption is also much better, which helps prevent injuries. The floors can be personalised and used for games as well as various sports.

Besides the surface, there are other ways to make the playground ready for outdoor PE. With playground goals with basketball hoops, climbing walls, table tennis tables or a monkey bar, you give pupils plenty of opportunities to move during PE and break times. To stimulate children's motor development, the interactive SmartGoals installations can be used, in both permanent and mobile versions.

Involve pupils in the design of the new playground. Let them think big first, then make it more concrete by introducing them to budgeting in a playful way. This way pupils feel ownership of ‘their’ playground and a stronger sense of community.

Subsidies for the playground

If the municipality cannot invest, or not enough, you can apply for subsidies or organise fundraising activities such as a sponsored run. Plenty of options, then, to turn the playground into a sports area for PE.