Six pillars for an activity-friendly school environment

First, put the topic on the political agenda.

Before experts start working on HOW the public space around schools can best be designed, we must first ask for administrative attention to WHAT exactly we want from our public space, but above all: WHY. These are questions we need to learn to ask ourselves again in order to make good choices about our public space, which is under increasing pressure. These choices concern our individual behaviour and its consequences. Is it necessary to take children to school by car? Why is so much parking space still needed next to the school? Is it worth it in terms of public space? And what does the citizen actually consider important?

Invest in a safe environment.

An activity-friendly environment and safety have a reciprocal relationship. While focusing on safety can make an environment more activity-friendly on the one hand, focusing on an activity-friendly environment can benefit safety. Investing in safety appears to be one of the most important steps in creating an activity-friendly environment. For a school environment, this may include:

  • safe cycle paths;
  • traffic-calmed streets;
  • partially closing streets to motor traffic;
  • an attractive school environment (aesthetically appealing);
  • a well-lit environment;
  • social control;
  • sufficient physical space for children;
  • well-designed kiss-and-bike zones (source: Fietsberaad.nl).

Create a balance between hardware, software and orgware.

The foundation of an activity-friendly school environment is the balance between hardware, software and orgware. A school playground with a number of pieces of equipment (hardware) creates a prerequisite for play, but this does not necessarily make the environment activity-friendly. The equipment must be accessible, the environment must be perceived as safe and, finally, sufficiently challenging. To encourage the use of the school playground, it is advisable to offer activities (software) through collaboration between the JOGG coordinator, community sports coach, municipalities and people involved in the neighbourhood (orgware). When maintenance and supervision are properly organised (orgware) and social groups use the school playground (including after school), the likelihood is greatest that the space will be used effectively and can be considered activity-friendly. Educational institutions with a healthy school playground specifically invite their pupils to exercise and be active. In practice, young people value a school playground with only natural elements, or a school playground with sports and play equipment combined with green elements, most highly.

Physical and social domains; involve experts and let the JOGG coordinator and community sports coach act as the connector(s).

The activity-friendly environment affects several domains; it is an interdisciplinary subject. Collaboration with other areas of expertise is necessary to create an activity-friendly (school) environment. Because many parties and experts are needed to take the right measures based on local needs, deploying a JOGG coordinator in JOGG municipalities and/or a community sports coach could be effective in connecting the right parties and acting as a catalyst. They could also help identify needs relating to an activity-friendly school environment.

Take the local context into account.

Taking the local context into account is particularly important for an intervention to succeed. This means that when something works in one neighbourhood, it will not necessarily work in another neighbourhood as well. It is important to identify the circumstances under which and for whom (context) a change works. This context concerns matters such as physical possibilities, maintenance and the user's needs. Before an environmental change is planned, this context and its possible influence on the effects of the change must be mapped out.

Involve the child and the neighbourhood in making the school environment activity-friendly.

When making a school environment safer and more activity-friendly, it is extremely important to involve the end user—in the case of the school environment, the child—in the plans. The opinions of children, as well as parents and the neighbourhood, provide input for policymakers, designers and other experts involved in a project. In this way, a customised approach can be provided, increasing the likelihood that the school playground and its surroundings will be used successfully.

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