Free Play Gets a Boost in Scotland

Ross-shire Journal – June 05, 2008

Playtime at an Alness school is about to become more exciting thanks to a £31,000 project which has transformed a desolate area within Obsdale Primary School into a play wonderland.

The space has purposely been designed as an open free space to promote unstructured play so children get the chance to let their imaginations take over. To help them get started there are some new props such as a giant wal-mounted toy clock, a set of extra large dominoes, plastic building blocks which can be transformed into numerous shapes, a selection of scooters, diggers and tractors to negotiate around self-built obstacle courses complete with miniature road safety signs plus balls, sports sets and hops. There is even a special wet area where the youngsters can use water in their play.

As well as catering for active pursuits during playtime, up a few steps overlooking the space is a quiet area where pupils can sit on over-sized outdoor cushions surrounded by planted flower and vegetable tubs. A large roofed sand pit takes pride of place with lovely wooden covers which can be pulled off and converted into tables perfect for pupils to sit at to eat their snacks.

The project was supported by £24,000 of funding from Forward Scotland with additional support from Highland Council.

Frances Leslie, head teacher of the 75-pupil school, was delighted with the transformation. She said: "We are grateful to Forward Scotland as without their funding there would have been little prospect of us been able to create such a fantastic new area. I would also like to thank staff and the goodwill from their friends in helping to pull everything together. The space was designed to be flexible and to encourage the children to develop imaginative play. For a small school this is a great achievement and it is lovely to hear the children playing and interacting with each other so well. It is through play that the foundations of their communications skills are built and by tapping in to their imaginations, they can make it a very creative time."

The new area is in addition to the schools’ outdoor classroom which opened three years ago and where pupils are heavily involved in tending the plants, flowers and vegetables and maintaining the area which is open to be enjoyed by the local community.

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