Drumquin school’s outdoor play area is top of the class

A DRUMQUIN primary school is one of only ten across the North to receive a prestigious award in recognition of its top-class outdoor play facilities.

Staff and pupils at St Joseph’s Primary School are delighted after they received the coveted Taking Outdoor Play Seriously (TOPS) Award.

Commenting on the extensive work in making their outdoor play areas one of the best in the country, a spokesperson for St Joseph’s Primary School said, “We continue to strive each day to be a school where happy children flourish.”

At St Joseph’s, the TOPS project was driven forward by capable classroom assistant, Aine.

The goal of the project was to create a safe and energizing play area for kids, promoting risk-taking and, most importantly,
fun.

In 2015, PlayBoard NI introduced the ‘TOPS’ Quality Assurance Programme with the goal of supporting schools to work towards a broader use of their outdoor facilities to enhance opportunities for play-based learning and fulfill children’s natural play needs.

With the kids of St Joseph’s being instrumental in what their play area consisted of, they could tailor their playground to suit their needs.

This meant that the pupils specially selected the final outcome of their playground.

The TOPS programme was officially launched by Education Minister Michelle McIlveen at PlayBoard’s AGM and Seminar which took place on November 4 last year, Outdoor Classroom Day.

She added, “I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of Playboard NI in advocating and promoting the value of play across Northern Ireland.”