School grounds
School grounds and the environment in which children and young people learn play an essential role in the development of health promoting schools.
For children and young people to be healthy, attentive and emotionally secure they need to be provided with environments and resources that allow stimulating, flexible and appropriate learning and teaching.
If schools are to provide a physical, social and emotional environment that is safe, healthy, supportive and inclusive, the environment both inside and outside must be designed according to the needs of the whole school population.
Research demonstrates that well designed, planned and managed school environments significantly enhance school ethos and culture, learning and teaching, pupil and staff morale and well-being. They also help generate good relationships with families and the surrounding community.
Considerations
The health promoting school needs to consider the following questions in relation to school grounds.
- Will the school grounds and outdoor spaces enable active, continual demonstration of a health promoting school ethos and values and a commitment to improving the health of the whole school population?
- Will there be plenty of opportunities for play, creativity, independence and choice for children and young people?
- Will the physical environment and the school facilities and resources support and encourage healthy lifestyles? Will they offer pupils and staff opportunities to make healthy choices and to be physically active?
- Will the facilities provided support the delivery of a quality physical education (PE) programme for all pupils within the school?
- Will the design and management of the outdoor facilities reflect lifelong learning and community use of facilities? Will the outdoor facilities provide for adult learners and communities outside of school hours, including school holiday periods, as well as allowing for extra curricular-opportunities for pupils?
Transform your grounds
Some 800,000 children use school grounds in Scotland every day but the vast majority of the 160,000 acres of school grounds are entirely hard-surfaced. Children spend up to a quarter of their day in the school grounds and for many it is the only chance they have to play and learn outdoors.
Good school grounds not only provide the opportunity for exercise and creative play – they also add a new dimension to learning by offering direct contact with the natural world and practical hands-on experience of it.
Ideas to transform your school grounds include:
- setting aside dedicated areas for different types of playground games
- creating wildlife ponds for lessons such as environmental studies
- planting flowers
- installing imaginative play equipment
- providing 'friendship benches', where children can sit when they need someone to talk to.
The best improvement projects should be:
- sustainable – through use, design, maintenance and management
- holistic – involving the whole site, community and curriculum, both formal and informal
- participative – involving children with adults at all stages of implementation.
Grounds for Learning
Schools can obtain support for the development of their land from Grounds for Learning. This is the Scottish school grounds charity, which helps runs programmes to support children and school communities as they work to make the most of their playgrounds.
Grounds for Learning campaigns to improve school grounds and can advise schools on any issues relating to grounds. The charity helps schools to provide improved play, enhanced learning and more opportunities for young people to make vital connections with the outdoors.
It focuses on giving children and young people a say in how their grounds are developed, so that they can help create and look after something valuable. This organisation also offers information, advice, training, continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities, research and membership for schools.
More information is available from the Grounds for Learning website.
Playground ideas and games
A wide variety of resources are available to support physical activity within school grounds, together with many examples of good practice. Some examples of resources include the following.
- The Playground Painting Resource Book was developed by the New Learning Communities at Castlemilk High and St. Margaret Mary's in Glasgow. It is designed to help pre-school establishments and primary and secondary schools to implement games and designs in their playgrounds. The book contains information about the role of the playground and outdoor space within the health promoting school and how these can be enhanced to improve learning and play. There are lots of examples of innovative and exciting designs that could be used, as well as practical tips. Advice is given on the equipment that will be needed and its likely costs.
- TOP Play and TOP Sport have been developed by the Youth Sport Trust and rolled out in partnership with sportscotland across all primary schools in Scotland. The programme is delivered through Active Schools and aims to support teachers, leaders and parents in introducing young people to play and sport, providing high-quality training, resource cards and equipment. These give lots of ideas and activities to ensure that children experience a high-quality, fun introduction to play and sport. Many playground supervisors have been trained in TOP Play and TOP Sport in order that they can support and deliver activities during playtimes. Further information can be found on the Youth Sport Trust website or contact Hazel Williamson on 0131 472 3327 or by e-mail hazel.williamson@youthsporttrust.org.
- The Youth Sport Trust has also produced a Primary Playground Resource Pack, which contains a teachers' guide, practical ideas, a lunchtime supervisors handbook, playground markings, activity cards and a CD-Rom listing suggested equipment and example plans. It can be purchased by contacting the Youth Sport Trust on 01509 226600.
- sportscotland, the national agency for sport in Scotland, has developed guidelines supporting the development of PE and sports facilities in both primary and secondary schools. They can also provide recommendations regarding the management of school facilities for community use. There is more information on the sportscotland website.
Useful links
Playscotland
The lead organisation for children's play in Scotland, campaigning to make the right to play a reality for every child.
National Playing Fields Association Scotland
NPFA Scotland is dedicated to protecting Scotland’s playing fields and to ensuring that local communities throughout Scotland have access to the best recreation facilities possible.
Play Safety pages of the RoSPA website
The Play Safety pages of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) website contain information and resources on playground management and the safety of indoor and outdoor play areas. RoSPA offer playground inspections, play area and playing field risk assessments, training courses and information sheets with guidelines on safe play.
ContinYou
A charity that works to link education and lifelong learning with health and to regenerate communities; its work includes breakfast clubs, out of school hours learning and health improvement.
Playground Partnerships
The Playground Partnerships scheme is for primary and special schools aiming to improve their playgrounds. Schools can apply for awards of between £1,000 and £10,000 to help them create a playground where children play well, be healthy and have fun. The scheme is run by the charity Woolworths Kids First.
