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

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.