Parents and children relief as schools in Mijas get covered outdoor sport facilities 

Great news for families with children in local Spanish state schools in Mijas. They can now look forward to improvements to daily life, as the town hall moves ahead with installing covered structures over outdoor sports courts in primary schools.

The much discussed project was confirmed this week as an agreement has been met between Mijas Town Hall and the Junta de Andalucia’s education department. The goal is to make school facilities safer and more usable during the periods of extreme heat and also opening the spaces up for wider community use outside school hours.

Lack of shade and intense heat worries

Calls for more shade in Mijas schools have been building for years. Local political groups, parents and community organisations have repeatedly pushed for covered playgrounds and sports courts, warning that children were spending break times and PE lessons in direct sun, especially during the intense months leading up to the summer break and when returning in September. 

Last year, local opposition party Ciudadanos publicly asked the council to speed up the installation of shade systems at all 12 schools in the area, stating that children had endured “high temperatures without protection” in playground areas. 

Outdoor sports facilities’ lack of shade concerns have also been seen across local community campaigns. A Change.org petition calling for shade at the Mijas Union Club sports court gathered hundreds of signatures from residents worried about children training in extreme temperatures. The petition described the conditions as a “real risk” because of heat and dehydration.

New school covering plans

The covered courts are planned for many primary schools and one municipal nursery school, including Tamixa, Los Campanales, El Chaparral, Las Cañadas, El Olmo, El Albero, Maria Zambrano, Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Peña, San Sebastian, Indira Gandhi and Jardin Botanico, plus the Los Claveles nursery school 

The council has said the goal is not only to improve comfort for pupils during the school day, but also to allow safer use of the facilities for sports, cultural activities and community events during afternoons, weekends and school holidays.

International families using Spanish public schools

Across Mijas, Fuengirola and Benalmadena, many international families are opting for local public schools because of language immersion, lower costs and stronger community integration. But adapting to outdoor school life in this sometimes scorching climate can be challenging for families arriving from elsewhere. 

Fuengirola has already rolled out similar covered court projects across several schools in recent years, with local authorities there describing the investment as both a “legal and moral obligation” because of repeated requests from schools and parents.

Primary schools also request that children come to school with weather appropriate clothing, suncream applied, water and sunhats as the days get hotter.