Boys dominating the playground

[Namechangeforthiss]

I’ve noticed at DD’s school the enclosed, paved playground is quite dominated by boys playing their (rough!) games in the middle. Meanwhile the girls mill around the edges, seemingly a bit nervous to even cross it, let alone join in. I’ve noticed the boys also seem to feel more ‘entitled’ to play equipment as well as the playground space and will be quite rough and jostle past if a girl tries to play on it.

Do you think playgrounds should be halved, not to segregate by sex (and both sexes should be encouraged to join in any game they want) but to save some space for children who want to play less physical/rough games?

Feel free to tell me I’m being precious! (I have a son as well, not smug girl mum complaining about boys, but he’s only 1!).

Our school separates the playground in this way (not by sex but by type of play - ball games confined to one area etc)
In nicer weather (when they can also make use of field space!) they separate further to add quiet areas for reading and colouring too.
It works so nicely, everyone gets equal opportunity to play in the way they want to.

I don't think segregation of space by sex is a good idea. This will lead to the football space being for boys and them thinking they can exclude girls. Additionally where do the gentler boys or those who don't like football go. Football is a good example because many girls won't play because the boys are too physical. There should be a space for all those wanting to play.

Agree with poster above re allocating the space needed for different types of play.

I specifically said I don’t want sex segregation, if you read my OP.

This is what I would like to see.

The link about shared spaces is interesting. Quite a few times DD has been on play equipment at the park (for only a minute or two) and a little boy has come up to say ‘it’s my go now’. Or they stand close to her and stare at her until she moves off.

So the results of the surveys don’t surprise me! I’ll definitely keep a close eye on DS’s play as he gets a bit older.

Suggest they divide the playground according to busy/calm rather than sex. There are gentle boys and boisterous girls.

I work in a school where we have different zones in the playground. As you say the rough loud games can dominate and make the quieter more thoughtful children feel uncomfortable.

We are lucky in that we have a lot of outside space. We have a caged area for football and then other equipment, like hoops or skipping ropes, out in a zone of the other playground.

It’s really important that some children get the space to run about and let off steam but that they don’t dominate. Quiet children are often forgotten about, especially quiet boys.

Not one post has suggested telling off or limiting boys in any way, only various constructive comments or suggestions on how to make sure all children have access to space to play. Making space for girls does not equal oppressing boys!

I don't think you can stop children playing ballgames in the playground and the very nature of ballgame is they take up lots of space.
If you look at some of the old sandstone schools many do have "Girls" and "Boys" gates and entrances. So it must have been a thing for a while but scrapped for whatever reason.

I didn’t suggest stopping ball games.

Is football causing the issue? I found this a really interesting read on footballing boys dominating space in primary school playgrounds - it’s ethnographic research done in two London primary schools.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248975381_'Why_can't_girls_play_football'_Gender_dynamics_and_the_playground

I work in an infant school (so up to and including year 2).
We have different zones in our playground, some play equipment to climb on, space to
run around (no ball games allowed though), and a covered area with tables and boxes of toys such as Lego. Always two staff on duty at playtimes, and we do address any rough play or pushing.

It's a reasonable observation and depending on your relationship with the school, it would be worth speaking to them. Our playground has zones for ball games, quiet games, no running, climbing areas etc. Now obviously not all playgrounds are big enough for this, so an alternative is to have day. Ball games on Mon/Wed/Fri. Or at morning play but not lunchtime. If the boisterous behaviour still permeates the playground atmosphere- it's intimidating and staff should be used to model co-operative and peaceful play.

@Namechangeforthiss how/when do you see this happening? Assuming you must work at the school if you’re in the playground at break times?

Definitely speak to your HT if you think it’s a problem.

I have 3 teens. 1 ds and 1dd struggled with the playground because of the rougher play. One wasn't bothered either way so yes majority of mine would have probably preferred a quieter area.

Our primary school lunch and breaks were transformed by OPAL https://outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk/ . Play became much more inclusive for all.

Oooh please no. How do we expect men and women to co-exist post school if they don’t learn to co-exist during school. I went to a single sex school and it did nothing at all to prepare you for a world where the other sex exists.

Both boys and girls need space to run around and be physical. Boys don't 'have more energy' than girls; girls are socialized from an early age into quieter play, including through clothing.

I was going to suggest OPAL and Make Space for Girls- one thing which can work well with limited space is to only allow ball games a couple of days a week (or have a proper lunchtime football club on the field if there is one) and the rest of the time have the space set up for other types of play.

Schools around here have rules to ensure the playground isn't dominated by any group. At my son's school football is in the MUGA and different years get different days to use it. Other ball games (mostly hockey, mostly boys) must be played in a certain area, and the rest of the space is for other games, and has the climbing wall, climbing frames etc, which the girls tend to colonise.

If the playground at your daughter's school really is a free for all, I think it is totally reasonable to ask the head to think about managing it better.

At my school we actually noticed this a few years ago in regards to football, and we introduced a rota system for different areas of the playground - a calm space, a trim trail and the bottom playground.

definitely worth mentioning, I don’t think you’ll be seen as precious at all, I think sometimes it just takes somebody flagging it to change the status quo slightly

And yet I went to a series of co-eds and struggled since with all relationships due to bullying and dd went to a girls school and has very healthy relationships with both sexes, because she is confident in herself and her abilities, having never been pushed aside due to boys dominating. Your experience doesn't supercede the overwhelming evidence that girls have better outcomes when they attend girls schools.

That sounds pretty much like the situation we had in the school I work in. The boys were dominating the playground with football and the girls milled around the edges. We divided the playground in half, one for ball games and the other for skipping, hoops etc. We also provided opportunities for quiet play like board games and drawing in our gazebo. It is a constant battle to stop certain 'strong' characters taking over. I would say something to the school but it's disappointing they haven't noticed themselves.

OP, how and when have you seen this happening?

Thanks for posting that - it is really interesting. I would say it is thankfully outdated now, certainly in terms of how primary school playgrounds in London are managed, and I certainly have no difficulty imagining the girls in my son's school bringing in awards won on the weekend and getting them announced at assembly. I suppose things gradually improve!

You're not in any way unreasonable to think that girls shouldn't be jostled out the way if they attempt to use the play equipment or hemmed in at the edges of the playground. Definitely worth mentioning.

100%. Both my girls enjoy sport and PE immeasurably more since moving from mixed sex primary to single sex secondary for this reason. I had constant complaints from them that the boys simply refused to ever pass to the girls (even ones who were bigger than them!), and the contract PE staff were utterly useless, and did nothing about the girls gradually drawing back.

Now both enjoy netball, football and hockey and play away games, and happily join the sports clubs at school, so it was nothing to do with them being less sporty, and everything to do with playing mixed sex sports without adequately trained or competent sports teachers. I have no idea how this is managed or segregated in mixed secondaries (presumably they are split up?) but the socialising damage has already been done for many girls (and boys).

This gender role “training” absolutely carries over into the classroom. (And equally disadvantages boys who would like to do well in art, drama and music - all subjects that boys do very well in at single sex schools, but less well in at mixed sex schools).

You can hammer away at the school, @Namechangeforthiss but unless you take a very active role in how playground supervision and PE are trained for and managed (and teachers have a thankless and stressful enough time if it as it is, so don’t expect to be welcomed with open arms), nothing will change.