Figure 1.--Many schools have the same hard surface play areas that state schools commonly have. This tends to be the focus of morning break where the boys commonly have a go at cricket batting, but normally use a tennis ball. A range of other games are also popular and vary seasonally and from school to school. The girls less commonly participate in these active games. |
Many schools have the same hard surface play areas that state schools commonly have. This tends to be the focus of morning break where the boys commonly have a go at cricket batting, but normally use a tennis ball. A range of other games are also popular and vary seasonally and from school to school. The girls less commonly participate in these active games. A few schools have impressive adventure play grounds or even assault courses for the older children. The adventure play grounds are very popular with the younger children. Some like the one at Walhampton are quite impressive strutures and in constant use. The older children, are often quite proud of masteriung their assault courses, such as the one at Brambletye in Sussex, Hordle House in Hampshire, Moor Park in Oxfordshire, and St. Richard's in Herefordshire enjoy demonstating their facility to visitors. Moor Park describes its assault course: "Finally, we have built an "army style" assault course in the woods next to the school. The local T.A. have been to try it out, advise on improvements and make sure it is safe. The children swing across streams on ropes, fall in, cross oozing mud on logs, fall in, climb in and out over various obstacles and fall in again: as one 8 year old put it, 'Super, you know, like Tarzan!'" Usually the schools with elaborate outdoor. gym facilities will require the children to go through a saftey orientation before using the more elaborate facilties. Even so, some schools report difficulties obtaining insurance at reasonable cost for some of these facilities.
