Play in Educational Settings Consultation
Paper
Introduction
Over the past year, the importance of play for children's learning
and development has become more widely acknowledged at a national
level. This paper addresses all those who have an interest in play
within educational settings (ie all education provision for 0-18
year olds, including Children's Centres and Extended Schools). This
includes teachers, headteachers, other practitioners, parents, out
of school providers, playworkers, governors, EYDCPs, children's
trusts, education advisers, and play specialists.
The paper is the result of collaboration between the Association
of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), PLAYLINK
not for profit, Learning through
Landscapes, ContinYou,
and the Free Play Network.
The main sections, include:
The Paper is based to a significant extent on the development by
Play Wales' development of a Welsh National Play Policy and PLAYLINK's
play policy work and work with schools.
Play in Educational Settings Consultation Paper
Overarching objective
The overriding objective of this statement is to secure for children
and young people an increase in the quantity and an enhancement
in the quality of play opportunities within all educational settings.
Values and understandings
Children and young people:
- are entitled to respect for their own unique combination of
qualities and capabilities
- should have their opinions and reactions taken into account
to the maximum degree consistent with health, safety and respect
for the needs of others
- are part of, and contribute to, the wider life of their communities,
and their school communities in particular
- have a right to play environments that offer challenge and
stimulation and opportunities to take acceptable levels of risk
- have the right to expect consistency and clarity in adult values.
Children and young people must see the connection between stated
policy and what actually happens. They need to feel part of a
community of trust and co-operation.
Play
The term 'play' is understood in a number of different ways. It
is not the purpose of this paper to fasten down one universal meaning
of the term, or create a hierarchy of meanings. Instead, this paper
looks at how play is understood in practice, that is, in
the different contexts within which it operates within the education
system for 0 - 18 years olds.
For the purposes of this paper we have categorised the time children
spend in school under three primary headings. They are the:
- planned, structured curriculum part of the day
- non-curriculum part of the school day (i.e. breaks and lunchtimes)
- out of school hours.
Planned, structured, curriculum part of the day: play, from
the teachers perspective, has identifiable learning outcomes, whether
or not the child is aware of this. In order to achieve the identified
outcome, the play may be structured, managed, directed or assessed
by the teacher, however informally. Teachers may intervene to guide
or direct the child's play to assist the child to develop curriculum
knowledge and understanding in its broadest sense. In this context,
teachers use the term 'play' to identify activity that is fun or
pleasurable for the child, is deeply involving and allows space
for children's spontaneity within a consciously adult-structured
environment.
Non-curriculum part of the day: that is, in children's break
or leisure time when 'play' is understood as being freely chosen
by the child. In this context play is, to the greatest extent possible,
in the child's control. It is a key value that adult intervention
is kept to a minimum, and that adults have, in principle, no role
in structuring, directing or managing a child's play. There is no
necessary or pre-determined outcome or product. There is no attempt
to test or check that a learning outcome has been achieved.
Out of school hours: for example, before and after school,
weekends and school holidays. These periods may be directly controlled
by the school and form part of its extra-curricula activities, or
external organisations may use the school premises for their own
activities. So far as play is concerned, those responsible for out
of school sessions need to be clear whether the activities they
offer have 'identifiable learning outcomes, whether or not the child
is aware of this', or whether play 'is understood as being freely
chosen by the child'. From the adult perspective, decisions about
how children are supervised, what they are allowed to do, and how
they are allowed to do it will depend on the objectives of each
particular out of school provider.
From a child's point of view, particularly in the early years,
the school day is likely to be experienced as a seamless entity.
As children become older, and the school day becomes more overtly
structured, the categories of play are likely to become more distinct
from the child's perspective.
All play at school has a fundamental role in enabling children
and young people to engage positively with the complexities of the
world around them.
Adults' role
Adults' role is to support and enable children's play.
In the planned, structured, curriculum part of the school day,
teachers and practitioners must be given the freedom to use professional
judgement to mediate the requirements of the curriculum through
play and to intervene sensitively to maximise learning potential.
In both the non-curriculum part of the school day, and the out
of school day, where creating quality free play opportunities is
the objective, all practitioners, including teachers, must be given
the freedom to work to play values and playwork objectives.
Recommendations
1. That Government places a statutory duty upon
local authorities and schools to meet minimum standards to provide
for children's free play needs, including a minimum allocation for
breaktime.
2. That Government issues guidance on developing
outdoor, play-friendly environments aimed at transforming school
grounds into rich play environments. This to be a statutory requirement
for all new build and refurbishment projects. That Government should
also amend Standard 4 of the National Standards for Full Day Care
Registrations to require all Early Years settings to provide children
with good access to adequate outdoor play space that adjoins the
premises.
3. That 'play-friendly' school grounds should
be judged and developed against the play environment criteria set
out in 'Best
Play: what play provision should do for children' (see appendix
1).
4. That the supervision of children and young
people at play will have as its key objectives:
Objective One: The provision extends the choice and control
that children have over their play, the freedom they enjoy and
the satisfaction they gain from it
Objective Two: The provision recognises the child's need
to test boundaries and responds positively to that need
Objective Three: The provision manages the balance between
children and young people's need and want to play and the need
to keep them from being exposed to unacceptable risks of death
or serious injury.
Objective Four: The provision maximises the range of play
opportunities both indoors and outside, and maximises the amount
of time for play, enabling children to play with a wide range
of partners and alone
Objective Five: The provision fosters independence and
self-esteem
Objective Six: The provision fosters children's respect
for others and offers opportunities for social interaction
Objective Seven: The provision fosters the child's well-being,
healthy growth and development, knowledge and understanding, creativity
and capacity to learn.
(These seven play objectives take account of those in 'Best
play: what play provision should do for children.')
5. That Government encourages and resources
schools to use a whole school approach to develop and implement
successful play policies. (See Appendix
2 and the 'Play
at School' report on a whole school approach to developing play
opportunities within schools, published by PLAYLINK. (www.playlink.org.uk).)
6. That Government encourages educational settings
to appoint a 'play champion' of sufficient seniority to secure quality
play opportunities in both the school day and the out of school
part of the day.
7. That Government ensures that the value and
importance of play is recognised in the primary school curriculum
and assessment system.
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