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!).

But you do. Am I misunderstanding you perhaps ? The diagrams show some kids on the edges and some in the middle.

Apologies not time to read the whole thread, but this dominance of the space by boys playing football was one of the reasons our school has implemented the OPAL play scheme in recent years. Look it up.
much more varied play now, staff evidence and pupil feedback testifies to this

I notice that pretty much in every school I visit for my job.
It teaches girls they have less right to space, therefore less of a voice. It's very wrong. Not many girls play football in playgrounds (there are always a few, I'm just saying it's mostly boys) so I agree the football area should be clearly defined by cones for example. If the game is too rough and the ball always comes out of the boundaries, then the right to play disappear for a day. It's only fair as all children have the right to use the playground and not feel intimidated by a ball coming their way.

It's not nonsense if almost all of the playground area is taken by a game of football and others have to try to slot in the remaining space. And as it's mostly boys playing football in the playground (always a few girls but the majority are boys), girls are the ones having to find whatever space they can to play.

Actually, most children are asked to go outside at playtime or lunchtime as there are not enough adults to supervise them inside so that's not true.

Yes you are but I’m probably not explaining it well 😀

One more go

i think in both single sex schools the drawings would look more like the blue one above,

i think that mixed sex schools will generally look like the the blue for boys and red for girls

i think it would be interesting to see for definite as obviously I have no real idea

when the boys went to play football on the field the girls didnt stay to the side in the main playground at our school

and actually when the year twos were not in school at lunchtime (trip or whatever) from memory I would say the playground did look different then

reception playground was more ‘cluttered’ with toys but both sexes played with everything I would have said

@Cel77 Except it is true in many schools...

Ask the Head to draw a chalk line down the middle of the playground with one side for the boys and the other side for the girls. Then employ a very dour playground assistant to guard the border.

Also, make sure the outside toilets (the only toilets in the school) are on the girls' side, so the boys have to ask permission to cross the line and walk past groups of scowling and giggling girls to use the loo.

@Namechangeforthiss did you speak to the school? What did they say? Women in Sport have just launched a campaign specifically about this (which is evidence based, to all the naysayers you had clogging up the thread 🙄) which you could send to the school
https://womeninsport.org/resource/teachers-toolkit-creating-mini-allies/

Yeah, our kid's playground is the same but the girls have learned how rough/nasty boys can be, so they've learned to keep to themselves and try not to get too near the rough/nasty ones.