Starting the Year Off with Safe, Inclusive, and Fun Physical Activities

A physical education educator leads an exercise session with five children, who mimic her movements, in a school gymnasium. They all have their hands on their shoulders.

The school environment offers a wide range of opportunities for students to be physically active. Implementing meaningful opportunities for students to be physically active can influence a student’s overall school experience, their physical and health literacy, and their overall health and well-being. 

Safety mindedness requires an ongoing commitment to knowing the individual needs of the students and ensuring their needs are prioritized. Physical activity programs that recognize the needs, abilities, and interests of every student and prioritize full participation can positively impact a student’s sense of belonging and contribute to the establishment of a safe, inclusive, and fun learning environment.  

Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education Overview 

The Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education (OPASSE) supports teachers/coaches/intramural supervisors/school administrators in fulfilling their obligation to provide a safe environment for students to participate in physical activity. OPASSE establishes the minimum standards for safety required for elementary and secondary schools across Ontario during curricular (Health and Physical Education), intramural and interschool activities. OPASSE also provides safety standards for each activity that help to minimize the element of risk in six main categories. These include:    

  • Equipment (e.g., small/individual equipment, large equipment, personal protective equipment);   
  • Clothing/Footwear/Jewellery (e.g., appropriate clothing/footwear to be worn, jewellery requirements)  
  • Facilities (e.g., indoor and outdoor school and off-site facilities, permanent equipment in a facility);    
  • Special Rules/Instructions (e.g., safe participation for students with medical conditions, safe practices for concussion, instructional strategies related to safety);   
  • Supervision (e.g., types of supervision required for an activity, roles and responsibilities of teachers, coaches, intramural supervisors, and volunteers, supervision ratios, qualifications required); and  
  • First Aid (e.g., first aid kits, communication, emergency response).  

In addition to the safety standards for specific activities OPASSE also includes: 

  • Concussion Protocol:  The Ministry of Education considers the Ophea concussion protocol outlined in OPASSE to be the minimum standard for risk management practices related to concussion. The protocol helps to prevent and identify suspected concussions and manage a student’s safe return to learning and physical activity. 
  • Tools and Resources: this section contains sample tools and resources that are referenced within the activity safety standards and professional learning opportunities.  

Safety Tips:  

When planning physical activities this school year, teachers/coaches/intramural supervisors should:  

  • Be familiar with the abilities, interests, medical conditions (e.g., anaphylaxis, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy etc.), and needs of the students in your class.
    • The better you know your student(s), their strengths, needs, likes, dislikes, prior experiences, with physical activity and the medical conditions that may impact participation, the easier it will be to develop a safer, more inclusive program.
    • Throughout the planning and implementation of physical activities it is important to be aware of any students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and the specific safety considerations required to support the safe participation of students with disabilities.
  • Prioritizing students’ physical and emotional safety.
    • When students participate in physical activity in an environment where they feel physically and emotionally safe the students are more likely to participate and realize the benefits associated with being physically active.
    • Establish procedures and strategies that foster a supportive and inclusive physical activity environment and welcomes and includes students with disabilities in a meaningful way. 
  • Check school board’s policies related to safety, inclusion and physical activity. 
    • Each school board is responsible for developing their own safety policies, as a result school boards may RAISE the safety standards in OPASSE if they wish, however they are strongly encouraged not to LOWER them. 
    • School boards may also have specific inclusion policies that provide procedures and strategies that focus on the inclusion and safety of students with disabilities. 
  • Consult the most up to date version of OPASSE – always check the OPASSE website for the most current version.
    • Teachers, coaches, intramural supervisors are responsible for implementing the most up to date safety standards.
      • Check the safety standards you are using have the 2024 date on the top of the page 
      • Updates are made to the safety standards each year – the current updates can be on the OPASSE website at the bottom of the page under News Summary of Revisions to OPASSE - 2024 
  • If there is an activity you are considering that is not in OPASSE, consider the following options: 
    • When the activity being considered is similar to an activity in OPASSE:  
      • refer to the safety standards on the activity page(s) that most resemble the activity.
      • example: if you are considering scooter soccer, refer to the Scooter Board and Soccer activities to ensure the safety standards for each are in place. 
    • When the activity being considered is not similar to an activity in OPASSE:
  • Implementing safe instructional practices that enhances a safe, inclusive and fun learning environment and minimizes foreseeable risks.
    • Establish safe classroom routines and use logical teaching progressions when planning and implementing physical activities.
    • When selecting activities to use with the students consider the students’ age, and stage of development, the needs and abilities of all students, and the environment where they are to be active. 

What’s New  

OPASSE Safety Standards and Tools and Resources are updated each year to help ensure they remain current, relevant and consistent providing educators, coaches, and school/school board leaders. The Summary of Revisions to OPASSE - 2024 contains a summary of the changes to the OPASSE for the 2024/2025 school year. A few highlights from this year’s revisions include:

  • Supervision section (elementary/secondary - curricular, intramural, and interschool):
    • the definitions of the types of supervision required for each activity were reviewed and updated to increase clarity for school board/school leaders, teachers, intramural supervisors/monitors. 
  • Water Activities (elementary/secondary - curricular): 
    • the water-based Outdoor Education activities have been updated to streamline and increase alignment and clarity across all activities. Updates are primarily focused on the equipment, clothing/footwear/jewellery, facilities, and first aid sections.   

Stay Current 

Planning and implementing safe physical activity programs can be complex and challenging. The OPASSE website provides up-to-date information to support the planning and implementing of safe practices. To stay current in your safety practices you can:   

  • Contact your School Board’s Safety Contact. Unsure who this might be? Contact Ophea at safety@ophea.net and we can help support making this connection.  
  • Submit a question using Ask Ophea: school/school boards, teachers, coaches, intramural supervisors may use this feature to ask safety questions or seek clarification related to the safety standards.