Almost 40,000 British troops are soon to be relocating from Army bases in Germany back to the UK, bringing their families with them.
Here at Playforce, we’re working with a number of schools who are looking for ways to deal with an influx of new pupils from these bases, so should you be in the same position, we thought it might be helpful to share a couple of things they are considering when it comes to their school grounds:
Playground supervision
Are your school grounds practical for an influx of children should you need to accommodate them? Think about supervision at break times, the sort of playground equipment and use of the space available to different age groups and any new rotas needed for safe use of the space throughout the school day.
Promoting integration through play
Break times are extremely important for helping new pupils to settle in and make new friends. Think about encouraging activities that promote working together, communication and imaginative play and the school community will get to know each other in no time! It is likely many of the children may have attended a number of different schools already and so it’s important to help them to adapt to their change in environment as quickly as possible.
Opportunities for learning outdoors
Are there enough opportunities for children of different interests and educational needs to learn outdoors? When classroom space may get a bit tight, the outdoors is an ideal place to ensure children get opportunities to blow away the cobwebs and incorporate some physical activity across the curriculum.
Ideas for learning about other cultures
Why not think about using it as a learning opportunity? You could set up a school-wide topic, learning a bit about life on an Army base in Germany. You could use this subject for a number of topics such as Geography, traditions, currency and perhaps a bit of language! You will also make your new pupils feel welcome and help them to settle in as their new classmates gain an understanding of their experiences.
Here are a few nice resources we’ve come across to get you started:
If you think you may benefit from some advice on how you can use your outdoor space to help new pupils integrate or to simply cope with more children in less space, we’d love to help!
Book a free consultation here