Where have our Green Playing Fields gone?

Sports Day was held in Our Lady's Grove this week. On tarmac! This is what the green fields around our school used to look like. The school used them for Soccer, GAA, and Athletics, Sports Day, outdoor play and nature studies, and also Summer Fetes.

That is up until the first portion of land was sold (The Grove housing development currently being built). At this point the land was fenced off and the Parents Association were informed that it would no longer be available for school use due to ‘health and safety’ issues during the building works.

With hindsight, it is clear this was done under the advice of property consultants to prepare the second portion of land for sale.

This land is a vital part of our school’s infrastructure and should be protected. And there is no doubt that the school is being stripped of a well-used amenity. Durkan Estates, in negotiations to purchase the 5.5 acres for sale, tried to convince Councillors otherwise prior to the recent DLR County Council meeting.

Email from student:

Hello,My name is Evie, I am an eleven-year-old student in Our Lady's Grove and I do not want all our land to go. I remember the old sports day in the big field behind our school and it was fantastic we had so much space and we did not have to run on the tarmac. All the land that is being sold could be hockey pitches, tennis courts ect or could be used to make the school bigger if necessary. Every other school in our area has playing fields Why can't we ? So please save our land.From Evie

Our non-fee paying schools will be left without a vital amenity. The impoverishment of the public school system by allowing lands that were previously used for school sports or outdoor green play areas, to be sold to private developers serves only to exacerbate the inequities in our educational system. It suggests that we do not consider that children in the public system have the same rights to physical education, sporting, or outdoor facilities as those that attend fee-paying schools. And it increases the tendency towards the development of a two-tier educational system in which those who can afford to pay opt out of the public system. This is to the detriment of all of our children and schools.

Outdoor space and playing fields should not be a luxury item for any school, particularly today with rising childhood obesity and and child and adolescent mental health issues. Policies which strip our public schools of their outside amenities are deeply unconstructive and threaten to create further inequities in terms of health outcomes.

School playing fields should be protected from developers and religious orders. We urge the Minister for Education to stop the sale of land around Our Lady’s Grove schools before passing legislation that will protect all schools from this asset stripping.

We'd love to share your memories and photos of our school's playing fields!

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