British School of Washington - No playground for children over 5?

[Anonymous]

Be advised - I went on a tour of the school. They currently do not have a playground for pre-school age children (full disclosure: I was told there would be one in place next year). However, a more disturbing fact I learned on the tour (and from speaking to a parent whose child currently attends the school) is that there may not be a dedicated outdoor play space for children over 5. The school is currently using a "green space" behind the building (when I walked through by myself it had just rained and was muddy) but according to the parent I spoke to that green space may not be available next year. The parents were told by the school that the space is not guaranteed b/c the children/school need to prove that they can be good tenants (apparently the school leases the space from Georgetown University). The parent I spoke to said the school was considering other alternatives for outdoor play should the "green space" be taken from them. One option mentioned was bussing the children somewhere or taking them over to Jellef to run around. That may work for older children (10+) but raises safety concerns in my mind for the younger ones. I have visited other primary schools in the area and the ones I have seen have lovely outdoor play spaces indicating to me that they realize the necessity of allowing young children to run/get fresh air during the day. It amazes me that a school that has touted it's move (advertising on NPR, buses) would not have factored this very critical need into its planning. And if they missed this, what else have they missed? Although I was attracted to the school based on the curriculum and the positive comments I heard regarding the teachers, the lack of an outdoor play space for children over 5 may be a deal breaker for me. Am I putting too much stock in the need for outdoor play throughout the day?

[Anonymous]

I agree with you 100%. Young children need a safe outdoor play space (and not just a patch of grass).