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Outdoors should provide opportunities for children of all ages to engage in planned and freely chosen play and learning experiences and should offer risk, challenge, variety and fun.
Making physical changes to enable this to happen doesn’t have to be expensive, and relatively small improvements outdoors can have disproportionately significant benefits. It’s always worth considering how you can continue to improve your outdoor provision. |
The key to successful improvements outdoors is to focus on what you want the children to be able to do, rather than what you want them to have.
A challenging, creative outdoor space might include opportunities for children to experience nature at first hand, with a mix of hard and soft areas and natural and man made materials. The space might allow children to actively manipulate their environment, and encourage them to engage in quiet as well as active play. There might be landmarks and beautiful objects that create a sense of place.
It’s not just about physical changes. Just as important are the changes you make to the way you manage the space, or the way pupils use it. Making sure all your colleagues understand the value of outdoor learning and play is essential; if the policies and practices that govern the way your outdoors is used and cared for are not in place, the opportunities for meaningful learning and play outdoors will be lost. Through years of experience we recognise the uniqueness of each school and setting, and a need for a flexible approach. When contemplating developing your grounds a structured process of planning and implementing change, involving children throughout, will increase the sucess of your project. We can visit you to offer help and support for your particular situation. Click here to find out more.
We recommend a 4 stage process that is participatory, holistic and sustainable:
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Stage 1: Where are we now? By the end of this stage you should have a good knowledge of:
- the existing layout and features of your school grounds;
- how the grounds are maintained and whether they are in good condition;
- how the grounds are used and viewed by the school community;
- technical/legal constraints.
Stage 2: Where do we want to be?
By the end of this stage you should have a vision plan showing:
- what you would like to achieve;
- how you would like your grounds to function;
- how you would like to be able to use them.
Stage 3: How can we get there?
By the end of this stage you should have detailed plans for the immediate changes you hope to make with any maintenance implications.
Stage 4: Making the changes
By the end of this stage you should have improved your grounds, and be ready to think about future projects.
Throughout this process, children and other members of the school community need to be meaningfully involved to ensure that the changes truly meet the school’s needs, and will be respected by pupils. | |
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