The project will improve the outdoor spaces for all ages at the school by the creation of a safe outdoors social space where young people can meet and have their lunch with friends. In addition, there is currently a lack of sports resources in the outdoors spaces and the project will provide additional sports and recreation resources that our pupils can enjoy while developing more positive social interactions with their peers.
Project Description
Local Priority: Create safe outdoor and indoor spaces for young people
Planet Youth is an evidence based substance use prevention model. It is a 10 step process which aims to identify risk and protective factors to build a protective environment for children and young people to grow up in. The work is built around 4 domains - Leisure Time, School,
Family and Peer Group.
Through working with young people at Baldragon Academy over a series of workshops with V&A, Dundee and examining the Planet Youth data it was identified by both pupils and teaching staff that creating safe indoor and outdoor spaces was a priority.
YP have disclosed through the work we have completed that there is a lack of places to sit outside and a limited amount of benches with shelter.
We would hope with the approval of this application that we could provide a further three outdoor tables and bench set for the playground. This would allow young people to eat their lunch outside and engage positively with their peers. We would also hope that young people would have had a more positive experience over lunchtime, therefore returning to class in a more relaxed state and are more likely to engage with their in their learning.
It was also identified by the young people that there is a lack of sporting activities/resources in the playground. Again, through consultation with the wider school community suggestions have been made to invest in basketball nets and a selection of different sporting equipment for the playground.
This again would allow young people to engage in a more positive lunchtime and engage them in physical activity in school and encourage team building activities. The PY data also shows that there is a lack of young people participating in physical activity so therefore by creating more opportunity for them it is likely to encourage them to be more physically active.
The YP have also identified spaces in school which they would like to create. The young people expressed that lunchtimes can be busy and there is not enough space for everyone in the lunch hall. After pupils presented to Senior Leadership team, it was identified that there was certain spaces pupils could use in school. The hope is this would create a calmer environment for all pupils in school, it would reduce overcrowding in certain areas of the school. Young people have also asked if they can open different departments at lunch. This again would allow young people to engage in a more positive lunchtime and be with their peers.
In 2023 the Planet Youth survey was completed by S3/4 pupils in Baldragon Academy. The survey focuses on four domains: School, Peer Education, Leisure Time and Family.
Baldragon Academy has been working in partnership with V&A, Dundee, Barnardo's with the PY Development Officer to look at the Planet Youth data. A mixture of pupils from across S1-6 examined the different statements that came from the data and prioritised 'safe spaces in school'.
With the support of the V&A, the young people went on a ‘safari tour' of the school to identify spaces where they felt safe and not so safe in school. Through looking at the pictures the YP were able to discuss with their peers and professionals what it was they liked and disliked about specific places in school.
The young people then created prototypes of spaces they would like to see in school such as: using the fitness suite at lunchtime, having somewhere comfy to sit and making more of the outdoor space. The senior pupils then presented to senior leadership team and at assembly to consult the rest of the school.
During lunchtime the group created a ballot where the rest of the school could vote on what spaces they would like to see be developed in school.
The school voted as follows:
Gaming Room- 50%
Outdoor Spaces – 50%
Movie lunchtime – 40%
Fitness suite – 35%
Opening departments – 25%
Soft furnishings-25%
Junior vs Seniors- 10%
Other suggestions – set up sporting activities outside, basketball net and opening upstairs.
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