A Guide to your NEW Playground Graeme Foreman
Playground designs and markings have been around for a very long time; some would say around 150 years. During that period there has been some dramatic changes, not only in equipment and technology but also in social beliefs and child development. Today’s playgrounds have to be more about the development of the children in the school rather than just an area of play. The term, the outdoor classroom, is now widely used in order to compliment the work of the teachers in the classroom with natural environment that is a school yard, playing field and surrounds. A culture of FUN, Fitness and Learning that compliments the national This document has been compiled to get you to think about what a child needs when developing your playground. Effective playgrounds should provide your school with a safe environment for active play, learning, exploration and physical activity, which are crucial for healthy development. So your first thought process must be around creating an environment that is SAFE for children to play. The next important aspect that you should think about is using your playground for pedagogy, what are the needs of the children within your school, with the curriculum and surrounding estates. You then need to think about challenging the varying needs of all the children in the school from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2. And one of the last considerations, which we are
PHYSICAL Most children’s first entry into the physical world of sport and physical education is in primary school through physical education. The current national curriculum has just been changed with “Physical literacy” being the new terminology used. “The motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to maintain physical activity throughout life” (Whitehead, 2011) § Everyone can be physically literate § An individual physical literacy journey § Guiding learning through a range of activities § Focus on the whole person Fundamentals of Movement plus Fundamental Movement Skills = Physical Literacy “FOM + FMS = Physical literacy” (Foreman & Bradshaw 2009) The physical side to the playground is often the most common, but the area that actually lacks a great deal of thought and attention. If we take the most basic of fundamental skills – catching and examine how many children struggle to catch, have never been taught how to catch and then reflect on other aspects of their development that this is crucial to ( for example: if you cant catch you cant play the sports included, but if you cant catch you may get socially excluded from groups of children that can catch and can play!)
CAN’T CATCH
For more information in the change in National curriculum visit http://www.afpe.org.uk
CAN’T PLAY Aerobics
Cricket
Walking
Rounders Baseball
Swimming
Softball
Running
Rugby
Gymnastics
Basketball
Soccer Netball Athletics
Handball
Cycling
America n football
Skateboard
Sailing
Hockey Golf
Canoeing Dance
Badminton
Tennis Squash
Adapted From Mike Jess, University of Edinburgh Intelligent Playgrounds Ltd specialize in Thermoplastic markings that can benefit the PHYSICAL development of a child through enhancing their learning around “Physical Literacy” – we have specialist games that will allow key fundamentals to be learned with appropriate training strategies for teachers, classroom assistants and children. Lets have a look at some of our designs. Key Stage 1: Rocks “N” Crocs
Key Stage 2 Game: 5-‐Alive
So, We all agree that one of the most important aspects of the playground is the physical element. Children’s possible pathway to sport may start here, if not the skills that they need to enjoy a physical healthy lifestyle certainly will evolve. As well as the Physical Development on the playground children also rely on a variety of other key development areas. SOCIAL Some children develop their physical attributes at different stages and may find themselves among the non-‐sport children within the playground during certain times of their education. There social interaction is not only a vital component for sport but also for essential life skills. The games that we design and install at Intelligent Playgrounds take into consideration how children interact with each other, how they communicate, solve problems and identify and develop their decision-‐making.
Some other elements that Intelligent Playgrounds consider within their range of game designs include, psychological and physiological games, tactics and problem solving and curriculum concepts. Once you have thought about what markings you want you will need to contact us for a free design. But always remember the top 10 outcomes of high quality Physical Education. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Commitment Understanding Healthy Active Lifestyle Confidence Skills & Control Challenge Thinking & Decision Making Desire to Improve Stamina, Suppleness & Strength 10. Enjoyment
Some Top Tips for other areas to consider when developing your playground: Do you need any other specialist equipment? Some specialised equipment can be expensive so know your budget?
Make sure that you employ the experts to make sure your staff and children know how to use the equipment safely, in a fun and interactive manner and start their development and learning pathway appropriately to their ability levels. You may also want to think about adding additional equipment to supplement the fun and learning of the children. Don’t forget the FUN!!!!!
Don’t forget that the gardens are also an exciting place for children to grow and develop other essential life skills. Gardens can be used for learning, social development and character growth. At Intelligent playgrounds we can design and infuse your gardens with life.
Training is an important aspect of the service offered by Intelligent Playgrounds. Graeme Foreman is a qualified national tutor, assessor and verifier and author of many publications on Fundamentals of movement and coaching children resources. All of our bespoke games come with full training packages and pdf handouts so the whole school can use them. Example: Extreme Hop Scotch
A multi-‐entry game that will challenge and develop the decision-‐making skills of the children. The basic concept is that the children make their way into the middle of the game like traditional hopscotch, but with an opportunity for individual development and differentiation before returning to their initial entry point. Elements: Technical: A variety of travelling can be used to maneuver up and down the hopscotch, skipping, jumping, walking, running etc. The main ways to travel is through stepping or a variety of jumps. There are 5 main types of jumps: 4 of them can be seen in the segments of the hopscotch. (Great for practicing in a static manner to develop balance) Tactical: Children have the option of how they travel around the game and travel within the game. Physical: The main physical elements that the children will develop playing Xtreme hopscotch include: Stamina – moving around and within the game – set time limits for movement but remember their recovery period Strength – mainly leg strength if they are using 1 footed jumps. Psychological: This takes place in allowing them to choose their own form of travel, jump and pathway. There are also some elements of teambuilding and problem solving for them to consider during the activity. Tag team races can be played to enhance social skills and development skills such as communication and organisation.
Not that you have processed your Intelligent Playground you might also want to think about your budget and funding? One of the best ways to fund your playground over the next 2 years is through the Sports Premium Fund. Purpose of funding Schools will have to spend the sport funding on improving their provision of PE and sport, but they will have the freedom to choose they do this. Possible uses for the funding include: hiring specialist PE teachers or qualified sports coaches to work alongside primary teachers when teaching PE new or additional Change4Life sport clubs paying for professional development opportunities in PE/sport providing cover to release primary teachers for professional development in PE/sport running sport competitions, or increasing participation in the school games buying quality assured professional development modules or materials for PE/sport providing places for pupils on after school sport clubs and holiday clubs. Accountability Schools will be held to account for how they spend the sport funding. Ofsted will strengthen its coverage of sport and PE within the Inspectors’ Handbook and supporting guidance, so that schools and inspectors know how sport and PE will be assessed in future as part of the school’s overall provision offered. Schools will be required to include details about their sporting provision on their school website, alongside their curriculum details, so parents can compare sports provision between schools, both within and beyond the school day. Remember that Intelligent Playgrounds are endorsed by current School Sports Partnerships and are on local authority top providers list. For more information, a free site visit and design contact Graeme on 07771783625 and make your playground an Intelligent Playground.