90% of pupils enjoy PE Class.
Their top favourite PE activities- Games, Dance and Outdoor and adventure
Suggestions from the pupils on how to make PE class better:
– Do more sports like Basketball
-Do more Gymnastics
– Do more tournaments
-Play dodgeball
Action Taken:
We have made exciting progress in developing our school grounds. We recently transformed an extra piece of land into a brand-new play area, which now includes:
A high-quality astro turf surface, perfect for sports and movement
A brand-new play tunnel, adding more fun and variety to break times
Looking ahead, we have big plans for this new space. We hope to raise funds to further enhance the area with:
A swing area
A biodiversity garden
A sensory play zone
These additions will support active play, creativity, and wellbeing for all pupils.
We also plan to make the most of our new astro turf by introducing Tournament Thursdays, giving pupils the chance to take part in friendly competitions. It will also serve as an ideal space for gymnastics practice, helping to free up our basketball court — which will then be dedicated more fully to basketball activities.
Pupil Feedback:
95% of pupils enjoyed the Skip Around Europe Challenge
98% of pupils enjoyed the classroom – based Activity Breaks.
The majority of pupils were very happy with playground break. Here are some suggestions on how to make it better: Swings and slide, play more with hula hoops, play more matches, extra time outside, skipping, more space to play in.
Action Taken:
At Meenkilly NS, we believe that break time is an essential part of the school day — a time for pupils to be active, socialise, and have fun. We’re delighted to report that the majority of pupils are very happy with their playground break and enjoy the variety of activities currently on offer.
However, we also know there’s always room for improvement. After listening to pupil feedback, we’ve gathered a list of great suggestions — and we’re excited to share how we plan to respond:
Student Suggestions & School Plans
🔹 “We’d love swings and a slide!”
Many pupils suggested adding swings and a slide to make break time even more fun.
➡️ We agree! These are fantastic ideas, and we hope to fundraise in the future to add these facilities to our expanding play area.
🔹 “More hula hoops!”
Pupils want to play more with hula hoops during break.
➡️ Done! We will be adding extra hula hoops to our PE equipment shopping list so everyone can join in.
🔹 “We want to play more matches!”
There’s lots of enthusiasm for friendly games and mini-tournaments.
➡️ This will be covered under our new initiative, Tournament Thursdays, which will take place on the new astro turf area.
🔹 “Can we have extra time outside?”
While many would love longer break times, we do have to fit everything into a busy school day.
➡️ We’ll do our best! When the weather is fine, we will aim to give extra time outside, as long as it fits into the school timetable.
🔹 “We want more time for skipping!”
Skipping remains a popular and energetic choice during break.
➡️ We will allocate a dedicated skipping day in the weekly timetable so everyone gets a turn and plenty of space.
🔹 “We need more space to play!”
This is something we’ve heard often — and we’ve already started making changes.
➡️ Our new astro turf area is now ready for use, giving everyone more space to play and be active. We’re also planning to develop a sensory play area, which will provide even more variety and support for all learners.
Pupil Feedback:
99% of pupils enjoyed Active Schools Week.
Their favourite activities being:
-Water fight
-soccer and football tournament
– obstacle course
-teacher vs Pupils
Here are some suggestions on how to improve our week:
– do more activities
– go to the beach
– bring a pet
– Buddy PE
– no schoolwork during Active Schools Week
Action Taken:
Active Schools Week is always one of the most exciting and energetic weeks of the year at Meenkilly NS — and this year was no exception! We’re delighted that most pupils were really happy with the way the week went, and it was fantastic to see so many smiling faces taking part in all the fun, fitness, and games.
As always, we value student voice. After collecting your feedback, we’ve gathered some great suggestions on how we might improve Active Schools Week even further — and here’s how we plan to respond:
Your Suggestions & Our Response
🔹 “Do more activities!”
➡️ We love your enthusiasm! The Active School Committee (ASC) will explore ways to add even more variety to the timetable next year, so there’s something new and exciting for everyone.
🔹 “Go to the beach!”
➡️ A brilliant idea — but one that depends on a few factors. A beach trip would be weather dependent and would also require significant funding, as buses are quite expensive. We’ll keep it in mind for the future, but we’ll need to see if it’s possible within the school’s budget.
🔹 “Bring a pet to school!”
➡️ While this sounds like fun, we need to be mindful that some pupils are afraid of animals, and not all pets would respond well to a large group of children — they may become nervous or unpredictable.
That said, we’re proud to share that we’ve had Jer’s Mobile Pet Farm visit for the past three years, bringing a wonderful, safe selection of animals — including rabbits, kittens, hens, chicks, lambs, calves, and piglets — that our animal lovers can enjoy.
Any future changes would need careful consideration and consultation with the Board of Management and Parents’ Association.
🔹 “More Buddy PE!”
➡️ This year, we included Buddy PE as part of our obstacle course, which was a big hit! We’ll look at expanding this further in next year’s schedule.
🔹 “No schoolwork during Active Schools Week!”
➡️ We hear you! While most classes did very little or no schoolwork this year, we know it’s important to keep the week as fun and active as possible. We’ll aim to make an even greater effort across all classes next year to minimise schoolwork during this special week.