The summer might be over and sports day might be a distant memory… but here at Playforce we’re working hard to keep everyone active and outdoors as much as possible. Not only is sport great fun and a fantastic way to develop communication and teamwork skills but properly thought out sports spaces can help schools to meet Ofsted requirements better, improve behaviour and even generate revenue to be spent on other areas.
That’s why we want everyone to have the opportunity to lead a healthy, active life. Over the last 20 years or so we’ve built up a huge portfolio of products suitable for all sorts of active and sporting activity, as well as all ages and abilities. And we’d like to keep on helping schools to get play and sport working for them. Call it a team effort.
So, why should you let Playforce join your sports team? On every team you need different skills. Here’s what we can bring:
The organised one: The best teams have things properly planned out. They know what they’re good at and have looked at all the options for achieving their goals. We launched our new sports brochure only the other day and we’re thrilled to see so many schools contacting us to talk about how they can develop sports facilities. You can download our brochure here.
The experienced one: You need team members you can depend on. We’ve worked with all sorts of schools on developing sports related space to meet very different objectives. Here are some of our favourite active and sporting schemes:
• Churchfields CV Primary School, Somerset - Inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Churchfields VC Primary School wanted to develop a playground that would encourage their pupils to get outside and active.
• Arbour Vale Specialist School Sports College, Berkshire - In order to add more variety to their playground, Arbour Vale Specialist School Sports College chose new equipment that would help them combine play with sports.
• Yardeley Hastings Primary School, Northants - As part of the Olympic Legacy, Yardley Hastings Primary School wanted to develop their playground into a fun space for active and healthy play. They tell us how their new equipment has improved exercise and attitudes.
The one that looks ahead: A scheme we’re particularly proud of is Barnabas Oley CE Primary School, Bedfordshire. The Olympic Legacy has helped Barnabas Oley CE Primary School develop their playground into a fun new space for exercising. They wanted new play equipment that would help make the transition from play to sport. While it’s great that more and more primary schools are considering outdoor learning it’s important that we remember the importance of preparing children for the the move on to secondary school, and that means helping them to see sport as a fun, natural extension of play.
The one that brings the equipment: In every successful team you have to make sure someone has the right equipment to get the job done. We’re always developing new products like our MUGAs, FMS apparatus and High Jump Challenge… or our Solar Powered Stop Clock and brand new exercise stations.
The scientific one: Great teamwork isn’t just about having brilliant creative ideas, though. You also need to be able to back them up. Here at Playforce we spend a lot of time talking to our customers so we can find out what they want to achieve and then whether we helped them to do it. 36% of those schools that came to us said that getting children to be more physically active was one of their top three objectives. And almost half said making sure they had the right facilities for this was a priority. Of all the play areas and outdoor spaces we’ve worked on, we were delighted to see that (even if the space wasn’t specifically designed for sport) over a third of schools were using it PE or sport lessons, as well as other learning objectives. In fact, 10% said they were already starting to use the facilities for extracurricular clubs as well.
The one that says “well done”: Most importantly, great sports teams need coaches, cheerleaders and people that will encourage you. That’s why we’ve partnered with Sports for Schools to launch our latest competition. It’s simple – show us how your school is getting active and be in with a chance of winning a set of Playforce Drop Spots and a personalised, signed photo of a GB athlete to inspire your school. Find out more here.
So… seems that you have the perfect sports team right here… what are you waiting for? Let’s talk about how we can help your school get even more active!