Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

176. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of her Department's review of outdoor play areas in schools; the supports available to schools to enhance sports facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30790/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Investment and expenditure on sports facilities in primary and post-primary schools is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. The provision of outdoor play areas form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school.

Practically all schools have outdoor play areas, and many schools use adjacent local facilities, including community halls, public parks, playing fields and swimming pools. Learning experiences relating to the curriculum such as Athletics, Invasion Games and Adventure Activities can take place outdoors on tarmac.

The current design guidance for new primary and post primary schools includes the provision of external play areas. This includes hard-surfaced play areas for both recreation and physical education activities. The guidance also includes for the provision of landscaped areas on school sites providing a variety of external informal and social areas to suit the learning development and cultural needs of pupils/students during breaks and before and after school, and for a range of more formal curriculum needs.

In addition, the design guidance for accommodation for pupils with special educational needs includes for the provision of external play areas with soft-surfacing and sensory gardens. The Planning & Building Unit are currently reviewing the design guidance for post primary schools to potentially include all-weather surfaced external multi-use physical education learning areas. As part of this review, a pilot project with an external all-weather surfaced area is being constructed in a new post primary school.

Funding is also provided for the development of playgrounds in existing schools by my Department under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS). The purpose of the SWS is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a multi-annual basis for a number of categories and is currently open for schools to apply.

Schools can also use their minor works grant to upgrade outdoor play areas including basketball courts.

The Emergency Works Scheme is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action, and in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening.