School playgrounds across New England will be open to the public this school holidays to ensure relaxing students have a chance to get out and play safely in the fresh air.
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Around the Walcha Shire four schools will be open: Niangala Public School; Nowendoc Public School; Yarrowitch Public School and Woolbrook Public School.
Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said the Share our Space initiative was expanding.
"I hope families in in these smaller communities can take up this opportunity to use school playgrounds, knowing they are safe, clean and well maintained.
"There are families across the region battling this unprecedented drought and this will be a great help to entertain the kids while the business of caring for livestock carries on.
"Many of our schools have beautiful open spaces and well-designed play equipment to suit kids of all ages and abilities.
"It's wonderful to be able to share these with the surrounding community - especially where space is limited.
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell MLC said the $30 million Share Our Space Program was launched in April last year following a successful pilot trial. The number of participating schools has continued to grow, with nearly 200 schools joining for these holidays alone.
"After our pilot program, we heard feedback that opening up playgrounds for school holidays really did encourage families to play together in the outdoors," Ms Mitchell said.
"Our vision is for more and more schools to participate in the Share Our Space initiative. We're also working to ensure we can accommodate this in harmony with other shared use initiatives like out-of-hours care, and local sporting facilities."