The Importance Of Funding For School Playground Equipment

When you look back to your school days, do you have fond memories of flicking through text books, and drawing margins in your exercise book, or do you remember running across the playing field, playing tag and clambering over a climbing frame in an adventurous game of cat and mouse? No matter how long ago those days were, I think we could all testify that we remember the fun we had with our friends more than the times tables we were taught by our tutors.

It is no different for children today either, except that it is far more widely accepted that learning through play is an important process and a fundamental part of a child's development. A long way from the adage that children should be seen and not heard which was definitely the case in my grandparent's house when I was a small child. This acceptance of a more liberated lifestyle for children is reflected in the school playground equipment that is provided to ensure the children get adequate exercise for the body as well as the mind.

Rather than a singular and lonesome metal climbing frame, which if I remember correctly was impossible to play on in cold weather, the playground today offers up a veritable theme park of playtime fun for all age groups. I have seen play towers and Wendy houses that are so well equipped it puts the offerings of Chessington to shame, well almost. By combining climbing platforms with swings, slides, scramble nets and sand pits, the resulting play area is suitable for under fives to over fifteens.

There has also been an increase in the number of adventure themed play towers on the market. For quite a while these were only found in pub gardens, but now schools and nurseries are investing in pirate ships and forts to inspire the minds of a younger generation. But what good does this really do within the education system? Well, it has been proved that exercise for the body does actually exercise the brain. The increase in oxygen intake feeds the brain and improves levels of alertness. It transpires that lethargy of the body induces lethargy of the brain too.

It should also be taken into account that after a good bout of exercise and fresh air, a child is physically worn out, but not mentally. This has the resulting behaviour of a classroom of well behaved children, an absolute dream if you are the teacher of primary school children who can't usually sit still for more than ten minutes. This physically rested state and increased mental alertness is a major factor in information uptake in school children, and this is why school playground equipment funding should be regarded as just as important as funding for text books.

The final, and very important point that should be made regarding school playground equipment is that as league tables and ofsted reports become ever more important to the education system, academia is taking over from exercise. With physical education lessons being scrapped in favour of sats tests, the provision of adequate school playground equipment is a fundamental necessity for school children. If some people out there still do not think that it is worth funding such projects, then consider that these playgrounds can be opened up for public use out of school hours. In a day where parents fear for their child's safety out on the streets when they play, school playground equipment could well be the stone that can kill more than one bird.

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