Gareth Hoyle

What a week of weather, nothing but strong winds and heavy rain. I was baby-sitting my young nephew and he was telling me all about school. The usual conversation about what he liked and what he did not like. After hearing about liking music but hating mental arithmetic, I was surprised when he said he hated indoor playtimes, when the weather meant that the children could not go outside. He said it was boring being inside and he did not like the air in his classroom after an indoor break. I do not blame him; a classroom full of children without a change of air would be stuffy and lead to tiredness and inertia. I know for a fact that schools have invested in games and activities to be used on indoor playtimes, but it would appear that even so children would rather be outside.

This got me thinking back to my own school days when indoor breaks did not exist. I am not saying these were halcyon days, but the shelter in the playground was a fantastic resource. One side of the playground was covered by this very basic shed-like structure; in fact we referred to it as the “shed”. The roof was corrugated material of some sort, but it certainly did a sterling job of keeping us dry in all weathers.

If it was raining, snowing or very windy out we all went, having been well warned to stay under cover, going back into class soaking wet would certainly entail a punishment. Under the shelter we would play games, circle games and action games, or just hang around in groups chatting. A favourite activity was swapping scraps, so we could sit down with our backs against the wall and swap to our heart’s content.

The back of the shed had ledges inbuilt, excellent for ball games, throwing and catching was an art form in my day at school. We also had singing games when we were playing “catchy”. The shed was only for the girls, the boys had their own, and so for the quieter girls this was actually a benefit. Nowadays the shelters would have to be for both boys and girls or the gender police would be on their high horses.

Irrespective of the weather we lined up under the shed, each class had their own spot to stand in. So in the morning, no need to go into school early when the weather was bad, something the teaching staff would be pleased about.

As a result of being outside in all weathers we were more alert in the classroom, having got lots of fresh air and run off steam. Back in the classroom we were more attentive and ready to learn.

It is a mystery to me why sheds were removed. Nowadays with modern technology schools could have shelters for pupils which would be bright and colourful and pleasant places to be. I am sure that teachers and pupils would welcome such an addition to their school playground so that pupils could get a much needed breath of air in bad weather.

So when looking at your Playground Equipment make sure you remember shelters are important for keeping kids happy and healthy.