The need to protect and improve school grounds is becoming increasingly urgent as government initiatives such as Learning Outside the Classroom, Building Schools for the Future, and Personalised Learning gain momentum.
And now school grounds organisations across the UK have joined forces to launch a new campaign:
The aim of the campaign — supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto — is to ensure that school grounds are always high on the agenda, especially when schools are being rebuilt, curriculum guidance is being written and budgets are being allocated.
Schools, other organisations and individuals up and down the country can sign up to the campaign at www.loveschoolgrounds.org. All signatories will receive a Love School Grounds poster to advertise their support for the campaign. And once you've joined the campaign you can post comments on www.loveschoolgrounds.org sharing how you make the most of your school grounds, and publicising your school grounds and events.
'School grounds are at the heart of every school, providing valuable opportunities for learning and discovery as well as helping to improve physical, social and emotional well-being,' says Catherine Andrews, chief executive of national school grounds charity Learning through Landscapes, one of the organisations behind the campaign. 'The more support the campaign receives, the better chance school grounds have of getting the investment they need and deserve.'