Rethinking schools to understand them as an extension of the streets of a neighborhood or town. That is the aim of the Patios abiertos initiative, with which public schools in the region will open their playgrounds and libraries in the afternoons -after school hours- from the next academic year 2025/2026.
The measure, announced by the president of the Community of Madrid a couple of weeks ago, will be carried out in collaboration with the municipalities of the region and will allow the use of the facilities both to the students of the center itself and to other children of the same locality who are not enrolled.
Thus, after school, both the sports courts and the school libraries will be in operation. A circumstance that will allow families, on the other hand, to reconcile more easily and save costs on alternatives such as possible extracurricular activities.
For the correct operation of Patios abiertos, the autonomous Executive will allocate a budget item for aid to the town councils – which are the owners of the schools – so that they can have sufficient staff to supervise and monitor the playground and, where appropriate, the library: the aim is to ensure the safety of the schoolchildren.
The case of the Círculo de Bellas Artes
This new look and openness about the use and conception of some spaces has also been taking place in the private sphere with proposals such as those that the Círculo de Bellas Artes has been leading for some time.
One of them, which has been very well received by a heated citizenry, is the climatic shelter, which last summer offered thermal relief, activities and even a plant nursery free of charge to anyone who entered. In view of its success, this past Christmas they repeated the experience with their first surreal Christmas.