School sports facilities are used to deliver the formal curriculum, increase participation levels and provide facilities for the wider community. Managing and, where possible, developing school sports facilities forms a specialist area within the premises management function and generally covers the following areas: planning maintenance, handling budgets and finance, and dealing with new capital development.
This topic covers the provision of school sports facilities, resources and equipment. Related material on the organisation and running of school sports can be found in the School Sports and Sporting Achievement topic.
In Practice
Outdoor Space for Sports
In order to support sporting activities, including competitive games and play, schools of all types and sizes will need access to outside spaces.
In England, arrangements for outdoor space for sport in maintained schools must comply with the School Premises (England) Regulations 2012. These require schools to provide “suitable outdoor space” in order to enable physical education (PE) to be provided to pupils in accordance with the school curriculum.
For independent schools, including academies, the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 contain the same requirements.
Guidance is provided in Advice on Standards for School Premises, published by the Department for Education (DfE) in March 2015. The guidance applies to all schools in England, including academies and free schools.
The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 are in force in Wales.
The regulations recognise that schools often need to maximise the use of their sites in order to provide the variety of spaces needed for sports and PE. Where schools have restricted sites that do not provide enough outdoor space, pupils will need to be provided with access to suitable off-site provision.
What constitutes outside spaces for sport?
Outside space for school sports include:
formal grass pitches for various games such as football, rugby, cricket and hockey
all-weather pitches
athletics running tracks and other facilities
courts for games such as netball, tennis and basketball
multi-use facilities
practice areas for games and PE.
For the purpose of the regulations, a school’s premises comprise all the land and buildings provided for the school, including both permanent and temporary buildings and detached playing fields.
Secondary schools should have outside spaces that are suitable for use for at least seven hours per week during term time. In practice, most outside facilities are used more than this and are often let to clubs and groups for evening and weekend use.
School playing fields
School playing fields are a key resource in the provision of outside space for sport. In many areas, they also represent important green spaces for both schools and local communities.
In recent years, there has been growing concern about a general loss of school playing fields. The Government has sought to safeguard their status by introducing legal protection and area guidelines.
As a minimum standard, the DfE specifies that grassed-sports pitches must be capable of sustaining the playing of team games by pupils at each school that uses those pitches for seven hours per week during term time.
