Schoolyards as Inclusive Spaces: Teachers’ Perspectives on Gender, Disability, and Equity in Greece

Schoolyards are increasingly recognized as critical spaces for inclusion, yet research on their role in addressing gender and disability remains limited. This study examines Greek teachers’ perceptions of schoolyard inclusivity, analyzing how views differ across teaching levels, professional experience, and institutional contexts. A quantitative survey design was employed, applying an intersectional framework seldom used in schoolyard research to capture both structural and cultural dimensions of exclusion. Teachers identified barriers such as uneven surfaces, limited adaptive equipment, and the absence of sensory-friendly areas, alongside cultural dynamics, particularly the dominance of competitive sports in central spaces, that marginalize girls and students with disabilities. Findings indicate that educators with longer service, advanced academic qualifications, and training in Special Education were more sensitive to issues of equity and accessibility, while secondary-level teachers were more critical than primary colleagues, reflecting adolescence as a period of intensified gendered exclusion. Situating these results within international debates on playground design, hidden curriculum, and Universal Design for Learning, the article concludes that inclusive schoolyards require not only physical redesign, but also cultural transformation, participatory co-design, and teacher-led practices aligned with global sustainability agendas.