Scotland’s school grounds: playful and play-full learning environments?

Abstract

The starting point of this paper is the Scottish School Grounds Survey of 2005, which provided nationwide insight into the extent to which school grounds were being used as learning environments for children in nursery, primary, secondary and special schools in Scotland. Reflecting specifically on provision for play and the way in which play facilitates formal and informal education, and considering developments in Scotland’s school estate over the last decade, this paper argues that Scotland’s school grounds are not yet play-full and playful learning environments. The paper concludes by reflecting on ways in which Scotland’s school grounds could and should be positioned more centrally in school education.