Keeping children active starts with a run & jump

Jon Bell, Managing Director at Synthetic Turf Management (STM), explains how the company uses creativity to provide sports and play surfaces which are designed around physical education

As a physical education teacher with a background in athletics, I found that teaching started with the basic fundamentals of athletics and the building blocks of running and jumping. Formal athletics is a great starting place and a forerunner to other team sports. However, I found that many teachers had a misconception about teaching basic movement skills and that unless the 8-lane athletic track was on the school field, lessons would naturally refer back to football and netball. Athletics, as it were, was always limited to summer.

The other challenge for the teaching of fundamentals of athletics was that the majority of primary school playgrounds today are marked out with full size netball, basketball and tennis markings. In my view, this limits all of Key Stage 1 and most of Key Stage 2 in terms of understanding and using the markings for individual and team games. It also limits the success rate of children – which in turn can affect how they feel about sports in general.

Over the past 15 years, having the opportunity to work with schools, Synthetic Turf Management has focused on delivering surfaces that are designed around physical education. We have done this by introducing tracks, grid systems and basic themes that incorporate warm ups, running, sprinting, hurdling, jumping and throwing. Even our early years foundation stage (EYFS) markings encourage children under five to develop basic movement skills.

Our “Educational Play in Colour” (EPIC) playgrounds transform a dull yard into a colourful, safe, fully inclusive, year-round space that does not limit children to just competitive team games.

The combination of tracks into MUGAs invites everyday playtime activities as well as including markings such at netball. Using our (EPIC) sand-dressed 18mm generic hockey surface with a pad system allows for athletics, tennis, netball, football and general multi-sport. The benefit is the soft but durable surface with non-directional pile ensuring minimal ball deviation.

At Synthetic Turf Management, we understand sports facilities are not limited to green rectangles. With creativity teachers can introduce all children into athletics and sport at an early age. If you would like further information contact 01642 713555 [info@stmworld.co.uk](mailto:info@stmworld.co.uk)