This Position Brief outlines the Commissioner’s stance on allowing the greater public to utilise school grounds outside of school hours.
It is clear the responsibility for opening-up school grounds to local communities outside of school hours and over weekends, cannot rest with schools alone. It must be a shared responsibility between schools, the community and local government, working alongside other relevant stakeholders.
Children and young people understand the risks associated with a lack of exercise but are largely dependent on what their parents allow them to do, and what their local area ofers in the way of outdoor areas that are safe and accessible throughout the day, out side of school hours and on weekends.
Opening up school grounds is a practice some other Australian States have alraedy embraced as they find ways to support opportunities to promote fitness and physical health amongst children and young people.