Play Policy and

Strategy

Created: October 2018

Review: September 2020

Introduction

Hartside Primary Academy recognises the importance of high-quality, sustainable play for children, regardless of their needs and abilities. We also understand that inclusive play is achieved by offering carefully considered outdoor spaces that offer a range of play opportunities. As a result, we have embarked on an outdoor play and learning project with OPAL to further develop our current play offer.

Definition

Play is recognised as any activity that a child enters into that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated and that actively engages the child (Day & Hall, 2009, p. 12).

Play is extremely important as children naturally engage in the four components of a child development through their play:

Physical (motor skills, coordination and fitness); Intellectual (cognitive development, imagination); Educational (understanding what they’re being taught and being able to apply it); and Social (values, beliefs and self perception,communication skills, leadership and teamwork).

Hartside Primary Academy recognises that great play:

● allows children to be creative and co-operative;● can contribute to play by facilitating or enhancing opportunities;● may be solitary or social;● invites investigation; and● makes children happy and happy children are better learners.

Rights

Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989, p.10) states that children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities.

Hartside Primary Academy acknowledges that every child has the right to choose the kind of play that is suitable for them whatever their age, gender, ability or background.

Rationale

Children spend 1.4 years of their time at primary school engaging in play times - this is 20% of their school career. Changes in culture and society have led to 'play poverty' in childhood. Play time is therefore valuable and needs coherent planning in order for

children to bridge the gap and give children the same opportunities that many of us had as children. As long as play is rich it can have many benefits. ‘As a natural and compelling activity, play promotes cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being, offering the necessary conditions for children to thrive and learn’ (Bento, 2016, p. 157). Play is recognised for the important contribution it makes to education and lifelong learning, a finding confirmed by many studies of early childhood. ‘When children develop the ability to explore their environment, be resourceful about the materials, people, and skills that they engage with, and think flexibly about different approaches to a situation, they are better equipped for whatever challenge next confronts them’ (Zosh et al, 2017, p. 10). The other area of focus for the impact of play on education and learning is the role of play during school break times and the impact on children’s behaviour and learning in class. We have learnt through experience that children that have enjoyable break times and are fulfilled by the activities they engage in, are more likely to be focussed and ready for learning in the classroom. Recognising the growing importance of play, Play England drew up The Charter for Children’s Play (2009, p.3) which sets out a vision for play and states that:

● Children need time and space to play at school. ● Adults should let children play. ● Children value and benefit from staffed play provision. ● Children’s play is enriched by skilled playworkers. ● Children sometimes need extra support to enjoy their right to play.

By embarking on the OPAL project we hope that children will:

● be happy and have improved mental health and wellbeing. ● have increase self awareness and self esteem; ● improve their language and communication skills; ● improve their concentration; ● improve their imagination, independence and creativity; ● improve their social skills; ● be resilient, confident problem solvers; ● be ready for anything as a result of negotiation and independence of

thought; ● develop life skills; and

● improve physical development, coordination and fitness. Hartside Primary Academy fully recognises its duties and responsibilities in supporting children with play during break times and intends to make them rich environments, full of opportunities for learning and enjoyment.

Commitment

Hartside Primary Academy is committed to using this play policy in all decisions it makes which have an impact on children’s play. We want to help children to be safe, reliable, independent and well-rounded individuals that are prepared for the 21st century. We also aim to give our children confidence and a desire to achieve their full potential in and out of the classroom environment. We hope that the project will also enhance the children’s overall health and wellbeing.

Hartside Promise:

● To implement the changes set out in this policy gradually and systematically. ● To be informed by the children and work with the children to create a space

that is exciting, engaging and enthuses children - where they feel safe to take risks and explore their world.

● To work in partnership with parents and the community. ● To work towards becoming an OPAL platinum school.

Health, Safety, Benefit and Risk

‘Research shows that the uncertainty and challenge of much of children’s play is a very large part of its appeal to them, and that it also enhances the development of their brains and bodies, making them more adaptable and resilient as they grow’ (Sutcliffe and Voce, 2013, p.3) Conway (2009, p.4) acknowledges that ‘risk and challenge is not limited to physical risk – it includes the uncertainties involved in making new friends, playing with children from different backgrounds and building emotional resilience through, trying out new experiences with the possibility of failure’. ‘Children should be encouraged and supported to encounter and manage risk for themselves in an environment that is as safe as it needs to be, rather than completely devoid of risk. The benefit to children of challenging play opportunities should be balanced with any potential risk when carrying out risk assessments’ (Ball et al, 2013 p.111). ‘All children both need and want to take risks in order to explore limits, venture into new experiences and develop their capacities, from a very young age and from their earliest play experiences. Children would never learn to walk, climb stairs or ride a bicycle unless they were strongly motivated to respond to challenges involving a risk of injury.’ (Ball et al, 2013, p.111). At Hartside Primary Academy, we will use the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance Managing Risk in Play and Leisure (2012, p.1) as its principle guiding document in making decisions relating to risk and play. One of their key messages is that ‘play is great for children’s well-being and development. When planning and providing play opportunities, the goal is not to eliminate risk, but to weigh up the risks and benefits. No child will learn about risk if they are wrapped in cotton wool’.

The Adults' Role in Play

We recognise through experience that play can be further enhanced when it is properly directed by adults who are are trained and equipped with play skills . We believe that it is the job of a playworker to ensure that the broadest possible range of play opportunities are available to children, to observe, reflect and analyse the play that is happening and to make changes that could further enhance play and learning. Playworkers should ensure that the play space is inclusive – supporting all children to make the most of the opportunities available in their own way. Hartside Primary Academy will use the nationally recognised Playwork Principles that were drawn up by the Playwork Principles Scrutiny Group in 2004 as key guidance in the development of play staffing.

1. All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well-being of individuals and communities.

2. Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas and interests, in their own way for their own reasons.

3. The prime focus and essence of playwork is to support and facilitate the play process and this should inform the development of play policy, strategy, training and education.

4. For playworkers, the play process takes precedence and playworkers act as advocates for play when engaging with adult-led agendas.

5. The role of the playworker is to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play.

6. The playworker’s response to children and young people playing is based on a sound up to date knowledge of the play process, and reflective practice.

7. Playworkers recognise their own impact on the play space and also the impact of children and young people’s play on the playworker.

8. Playworkers choose an intervention style that enables children and young people to extend their play. All playworker intervention must balance risk with the developmental benefit and well-being of children.

Strategic Aims and Practices

Hartside has entered into an agreement with OPAL Outdoor Play and Learning CIC to support the development of the quality of our playtime provision.

1. The Outdoor Environment

Research shows that pupils at greener schools showed better attention and superior memory (Dadvand, 2015, p.7937). Children using green spaces are also more creative and play imaginatively and collaboratively. Therefore Hartside Primary Academy will create plans to transform the school grounds over several years to promote the continued creation and recreation of the play space by the children. In order to do this we have to landscape some of the playground and provide plenty of open ended materials for play opportunities. We aim to:

● Play outdoors in all weathers and minimise the amount of indoor play. ● Use the outdoor space as a natural resource for learning and playing; ● Include the children when planning for playing and learning outdoors; ● Ensure that the outdoor area offers children the opportunity to investigate and

explore, problem solve, use their imagination and creativity; ● Encourage the children to respect the outdoor environment and care for living

things; ● Give children the opportunity to manage, play in and use the space and

freedom afforded by the outdoors; and

● Enrich the quality of the environment to maximise variety of play types and increase play value.

2. Loose Parts

The greater the range of experiences presented by a play environment, the more children will naturally explore and learn through play. The vital ingredients for these experiences are loose parts: attractive, flexible materials that children can readily change, manipulate and control for themselves. The school intends to provide a range of loose parts and to continue to introduce new loose parts as the project continues. 3. Supervision

The school will move towards a much greater emphasis on playwork roles and skills for play supervision. The expectations will be shared with staff and the expectation will be that any staff on duty will fulfil this role. We will move towards a ranging supervision approach where staff have an allocated route to follow during their duty so that they can supervise all of the areas available to the children. 4. Monitoring

The school will continue to use the OPAL audit tool and pupil surveys to monitor implantation of its play policy, strategy and action plan. An annual report will then be presented to the governors.

5. Health and Safety

All activities, play areas and equipment will be subject to standard checks on a daily and/or periodic basis. These checks will be documented through the benefit risk assessment, or kept on file in the office. Risk-benefit assessments for areas, equipment and activities will be held in the shared OPAL drive on the school Google Drive for inspection. All new activities which involve potential significant risk will be subject to assessment as part of the planning process. All previous assessments will be reviewed as and when appropriate. The play workers will be responsible for the site, equipment and resources in general, which are intended to be open access. They will also be responsible for any activities as well as the conduct and behaviour of those in their care. They will be responsible for ensuring that those persons in their care use the site and equipment in a safe, controlled and appropriate manner to ensure the wellbeing of ALL users on site. It is the responsibility of all visitors and staff to work within agreed policy and procedures and to adhere to all control measures imposed as a result of assessments. It is the responsibility of all carers to bring any potential hazard or concerns regarding the site, equipment or activities to the attention of the Playleader on duty. It is then the responsibility of the Playleader on duty to act upon any concerns and to ensure that any deficiencies are rectified immediately and to report to the OPAL lead as soon as possible. Availability of policy

This policy is available via the school office or on request, or on the school’s website.

References

Ball. D et al (2013) Managing Risk in Play Provision: Implementation Guide. London. National Children’s Bureau, p.111. Bento. G, and Gisela. D (2016). The Importance of Outdoor Play for Young Children’s Healthy Development, Porto Biomedical Journal, [online] 2 (5), p.157. Available at: http://www.portobiomedicaljournal.com [Accessed 13.11.2018]. Conway. M (2009) Developing an Adventure Playground: The Essential Elements. London. Play England, p. 4.

Dadvand. P (2015) Green Spaces and Cognitive Development in Primary School Children. PNAS, [online] 112 (26), P.7937. Available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/112/26/7937 [Accessed 13.11.18].

Hall. N, and Day. L (2009) Evaluation of Children’s Play Programme. Birmingham. ECOTEC Research and Consulting, p.12. Health and Safety Executive (2012) CHILDREN’S PLAY AND LEISURE – PROMOTING A BALANCED APPROACH Norwich. HSE, p.1. Play England (2009) Charter for Children’s Play. London. National Children’s Bureau, p.3. Playwork Principles Scrutiny Group (2015) Playwork Principles, Play England, viewed November 2018, http://www.playengland.net/playwork-2/playwork-principles/ Sutcliffe. R and Voce. A (2013) Managing Risk in Play Provision. London. Play England, p.3.

UN General Assembly, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 20 November 1989, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, p.10, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b38f0.html [accessed 14 November 2018]. Zosh. J.M et al. (2017) Learning Through Play: A Review of the Evidence. Billund. Lego Foundation, p.10. Useful websites:

http://www.outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk/ http://www.playengland.org.uk/ http://www.HSE.gov.uk http://www.RosPA.com