Almost all municipalities can offer primary schools enough sports facilities for compulsory physical education lessons

Published Aug 25, 2023

Starting next school year, primary schools must provide all pupils with at least two lessons of physical education per week. However, there must be enough sports facilities available for this. 85 percent of municipalities indicate that they can offer all schools enough sports facilities to meet the new obligation. This is according to research by the Mulier Institute among municipal officials.

Almost all municipalities can offer primary schools enough sports facilities for compulsory physical education lessons

For example, most municipalities want to use other types of accommodation for physical education, such as schoolyards and grass fields.

More physical education outdoors

Municipalities expect more physical education lessons to take place outdoors. Compared with the previous school year, physical education is already being provided outdoors in more municipalities. Schools are making greater use especially of sports fields (increasing from 41% to 60% of municipalities) and schoolyards (from 35% to 56%).

Using facilities more efficiently

Municipalities will also use the facilities more efficiently in order to provide more groups with space for the required physical education lessons. In doing so, they may take less account of schools’ preferences regarding lesson times and locations.

Questionnaire among municipal officials

These figures are based on a questionnaire among the municipal panel of the Association of Sports and Municipalities (VSG) in March 2023. A total of 110 municipalities completed the questionnaire. The collected data were weighted by the Mulier Institute according to the urbanisation level of the municipality and provide a good representation of Dutch municipalities. The Mulier Institute conducted the research on behalf of VSG.

Read the full findings in the factsheet ‘Accommodation for physical education’.

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