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This website contains guidance and practical suggestions for Anti-Racist Education practice at Early level grouped by Experiences, Spaces and Interactions. It also breaks down the Scottish Government Anti-Racist Curriculum Principles to clearly explain what they look like at Early Level.

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For education practitioners in Scotland interested in embedding anti-racist education in their setting.

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Out to Play: Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces

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Out to Play: Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces

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Fantastic guidance on making the most of outdoor spaces in ELC settings, and supporting children to develop connections and care for nature.

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Executive Summary

This guidance is part of the to Play series that aims to support Early Learning and Childcare ( ELC) practitioners to provide great outdoor play experiences for our children. Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces is about making the most of the outdoor spaces your ELC settings use and caring for the environment through embedding Learning for Sustainability ( LfS). It has been developed to complement the original Out to Play guidance.

Relationships are key to the effectiveness of caring for any outdoor space. We know that relationships matter between children and adults and that these relationships need to be nurturing, caring and empowering. We also know that when outdoor play is happening successfully, children and staff have develop a strong relationship with the places where they play. They have an emotional and spiritual attachment to the land and a sense of belonging to, and being part of, nature which motivates them to care for their environment.

Why we need this guidance

It's a really exciting time for ELC and outdoor learning in Scotland. Outdoor play and learning is already an integral, everyday part of ELC. More and more settings are now fully outdoors or expanding their outdoor facilities and experiences to increase children's opportunities for quality outdoor play and learning.

As outlined in ' Best Start', the Childcare Strategic Plan, it is our vision that children in ELC will spend as much time outdoors as they do indoors, and that time outdoors will happen every day, in every setting. We also set out our commitment to work with our partners to build on the range of outdoor learning support for providers that we put in place during the pandemic.

There is clear research, evidence and recognition about the benefits of outdoor play, especially in natural spaces. This includes physical, social, emotional, cognitive and spiritual benefits, as exemplified in the Inspiring Scotland (2018) Scotland's National Outdoor Play and Learning Position Statement.

How we manage and care for our outdoor spaces reflects our values and understanding of a pedagogy that embeds LfS. With increasing use, our outdoor spaces are at risk of detrimental wear and tear. This can reduce the play and learning possibilities for our children and impacts on the biodiversity of the space - that is the range of wildlife, including plant life, that inhabit these spaces, even in urban areas.

In addition, the environmental and climate challenges that we currently face - now and in the foreseeable future - are significant and serious. We are having to learn creative approaches requiring new ways of thinking and acting, using LfS as the context. It is important that professionals working with children have the capability to do this very well so that we and our children feel empowered to shape our future.

Who is this guidance for?

This guidance is written primarily for all professionals working with children in ELC and at early level in schools. This includes ELC practitioners, childminders, teachers working at Early Level, playworkers and practitioners who work in Out of School Care ( OOSC) for young children. Throughout the guidance, the term 'practitioner' is used to collectively represent the workforce.

While the guide is primarily aimed at ELC settings and early primary, much of it is relevant for others providing play experiences in an outdoor environment. It will also be of interest to decision makers with responsibilities for developing outdoor play and learning and/or sustainable cultures and approaches.

How to use this guidance?

This new chapter of Out to Play guidance has been published online in order to uphold our commitment to environmental sustainability. Practitioners will be able to download relevant sections of the guidance and to access links to helpful resources.

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Out to Play - caring for our outdoor spaces

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Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces is about making the most of the outdoor spaces your Early Learning and Childcare settings use and caring for the environment through embedding Learning for Sustainability. This guidance supports practitioners to provide high quality outdoor play experiences.

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Learning about Gender Diversity and Fairness 

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Learning about Gender Diversity and Fairness 

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This has useful tips and case studies, as well as a section on Persona Dolls

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Tiney Guide to becoming an inclusive, anti-racist early educator

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Tiney Guide to becoming an inclusive, anti-racist early educator

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Gender Equal Play in Early Learning and Childcare

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Gender Equal Play in Early Learning and Childcare

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Heteronormativity in early childhood - Promoting inclusive practice

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Heteronormativity in early childhood - Promoting inclusive practice

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A blog post

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In the first of three articles on this issue, Fifi Benham and Shaddai Tembo introduce the concept of heteronormativity within the context of early education and explain how practitioners can best promote inclusive practice. Following this introductory article, articles two and three will explore how to have conservations with the child, examine the role of the material environment, and consider intersections with other protected characteristics. ‍

‍ To support accessibility, we've added a short glossary of the terms used at the bottom of this article. ‍

For various reasons, the issue of heteronormativity tends to gather less attention in conversations about equality in early childhood. Yet understanding this term is important for practitioners to better develop ways to counter LGBTQ+ inequalities in the early years.

Heteronormativity is a concept that refers to the assumption in a society of heterosexuality as the default sexual orientation. It is an assumption because, while we often see our identities as fixed in place from birth, or natural, research shows that it is often societal influences that shape who we are and become.

Why does heteronormativity matter in the Early Years?

Heteronormativity is premised on a binary understanding of gender and relationships:

that the only two genders are 'men' and 'women',

and that relationships should typically be between one person from each of those groups.

It is harmful to LGBTQ+ people as it means that they have to work against an assumed reality, as opposed to more diverse concepts of gender and relationships being accepted as possibilities.

Although heteronormativity grants cisgender heterosexual people a significant level of privilege, it can also cause them harm through the expectation of distinct gender roles both in relationships and in wider society.

Unlearning heteronormativity is therefore essential in striving for equity and social justice in the early years.

The impact of heteronormativity in early childhood can be seen in the ways society expects, either implicitly or explicitly, girls and boys to dress, behave and play in separate yet complementary ways. For example, girls being given dolls to look after and boys being expected to enjoy 'rough and tumble play, or when an offhand comment is made that a boy has a 'crush' or 'fancies' another girl.

There is then a presumed path of a future relationship with someone from the 'opposite' gender, and a set of expectations about what each person should bring to that relationship. For example, even before babies are born the first clothes, toys, and bedrooms prepared for them will be designed to fit a stereotype of what a boy or a girl should like.

Slogans such as " Ladies man," and " Sorry boys, daddy says I can't date until I'm 30," are unfortunately not uncommon on baby grows and children's clothes. This is often overlooked as being playful and innocent but the sexualisation of babies and children as well as the expectation of heterosexuality it sets can be deeply harmful.

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Underpinning practice through policy and guidance

Whilst current early years guidance does not explicitly mention heteronormativity, there are broader statements and advice which do apply. . This begins in the EYFS (2021) which underpins the obligations of all settings to adhere to the Equality Act 2010.

Development Matters

Development Matters (2021) states in the key features of effective practice that " all children deserve to have an equal chance of success."

This is relevant in that heteronormativity perpetuates outdated ideas about skills and jobs being suited to one specific gender. In order for children to have an equal chance of success, practitioners must create a space where exploration of different futures is not restricted in this way.

Development Matters guidance on Understanding the World includes avoiding " songs which include gender, cultural or racial stereotypes." Gender stereotypes, in particular, relate to heteronormativity as, in rhymes or songs for young children, they will often refer to mummies and daddies doing different activities or filling different roles.

An obvious example here is the " mummies going chatter chatter chatter" in the rhyme 'The Wheels on the Bus' while the " daddies read the news ". Rhymes like this perpetuate particular stereotypes about men and women that should be avoided.

The guidance also includes supporting children's understanding and exploration of people's differences using "materials which confront gender stereotypes." This makes it clear that best practice goes beyond just not perpetuating stereotypes but necessitates actively confronting them.

Birth to 5 Matters

‍ Birth to 5 Matters (2021) also has a section on inclusive practice and equality, explicitly naming sexual orientation as a protected characteristic. Specific emphasis is placed on ensuring children see themselves and their families represented.

An example of the ways this document builds upon guidance set out in Development Matters is that Birth to 5 advises our resources must " avoid stereotypical depictions of people based on gender and sexual orientation." This more clearly links to heteronormativity by suggesting different sexual orientations should also be fairly represented.

It is also stated that "practitioners should share their willingness to challenge stereotypes and misunderstandings." This promotes individual practitioners taking responsibility for actively addressing these issues as they arise. Although the statement is not specific to any one type of stereotype this guidance can be applied as a willingness to challenge heteronormativity.

Acknowledging heteronormativity in your practice

Central to challenging heteronormativity is firstly making sure that you, as a practitioner, are prepared to have these conversations and are to reflect on your practice.

As noted earlier, this is an issue that tends to gather less attention in discussions on equalities, often because of:

denial that it matters ("children surely aren't learning about these things"),

a wish to keep childhood 'innocent' ("we shouldn't worry children with these issues"),

or the fear of getting it wrong ("what if I offend someone?").

While we've made clear that this clearly is a fundamental issue in the early years, the fear of getting it wrong has to be weighed against the implications of not engaging with this work at all. Nobody is perfect and it is likely that you will make mistakes, as in every single other aspect of life. What's important here is that you are committed and open to learning and having these conversations. Initially, it's a good idea to review your internal equality and inclusion policies.

Internal equality and inclusion policies.

Equality and inclusion policies must set out clear expectations of practice that allows all children the chance to play and explore outside cisheteronormative expectations. This means not just stating the need to adhere to the Equality Act 2010 but expanding upon the way stereotypes negatively impact children's opportunities and how this may be countered. This is a shift from reactive to proactive thinking.

Having clear systems in place for staff meetings, supervision and CPD must aim to provide opportunities for progress to be made. Consistency amongst staff teams in their understanding of heteronormativity and how to tackle it is one way to ensure children are given equal opportunities to thrive.

If you don't feel comfortable addressing this internally, it's worth seeking the support of an external trainer to support developing a strategy. If perpetuating heteronormativity is repeatedly an issue with staff then it may be best to revisit the setting's policies and how to ensure they are followed.

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What if something prejudiced or discriminatory is said?

Practitioners must be prepared to have open discussions when something is said by either a parent or a colleague within the setting that perpetuates heteronormativity.

But how do you do this?

How to handle that situation will depend on a number of factors, such as

whether it is a conversation with children or with colleagues.

whether it is appropriate to address the situation at that exact moment

whether the practitioner themselves feels they are emotionally safe to challenge what's been said.

An example might be that something upsetting is said by a parent rooted in prejudice. It might during drop-off or pick-up times, when they see their child in a dress or pushing a buggy, that they might say 'they shouldn't be doing that' or they 'should be doing something else'.

Practitioners need to look after their own well-being and shut down the conversation until they are prepared to respond with the support of the setting.

Asking questions which encourage breaking down what is said is often key to helping others re-evaluate both the truth of their statement and whether they even believe it themselves. Working through prejudices together is more likely to create genuine change, rather than the burden being placed on the individual educator to respond in each situation.

Overall, recognising and actively challenging heteronormativity is key to ensuring all children have the same freedom of opportunity.

Learning about the key terms, how this issue sits with policy and understanding how to begin these conversations with parents and colleagues is an important initial step. In the second article, we will consider how to have conversations with the child and think about the broader material environment.

Glossary
Gender
Gender can be understood as a social system of practices, norms and expectations within society that characterise people as different in socially significant ways, typically based upon masculinity and femininity.
Cisgender
A term that describes someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex the person was identified as having at birth.
Transgender
A term that describes someone whose gender identity does not align with the sex the person was identified as having at birth.
Non-binary
A term that describes someone whose gender identity sits outside the gender binary system, which itself infers the belief that there are only two gender identities.
Heteronormativity
A concept used to describe practices that socially exclude or marginalise non-heterosexual people and preserve heterosexuality as the norm
Homophobia
Discrimination or prejudice against homosexuality or gay people.
LGBTQ+
An umbrella term to refer to all current and future minoritised sexual orientations and gender identities, with the plus symbol used as a proxy to represent both the wide variety of established genders and orientations beyond the initialism and those who are part of the community but have a more fluid sense of identity and do not necessarily feel drawn to particular labels.
Sexual orientation
Describes people's emotional attraction or desire toward others.
Transphobia
Discrimination or prejudice against trans people.

Official Danish Government Reopening Advice

Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.

UK Nursery Covid-19 Response Group Recommendations

The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.

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How can practitioners promote an inclusive practice | Famly

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In the first of three articles on this issue, Fifi Benham and Shaddai Tembo introduce the concept of heteronormativity within the context of early education and explain how practitioners can best promote inclusive practice. Following this introductory article, articles two and three will explore how to have conservations with the child, examine the role of the material environment, and consider intersections with other protected characteristics .

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BBC Bitesize video: Not racist v Anti-Racist

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BBC Bitesize video: Not racist v Anti-Racist

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John Amaechi is a psychologist, a New York Times best-selling author and a former NBA basketball player. In the wake of the George Floyd killing and the Black Lives Matter protests, and at a time when many people want to learn how they can be better allies for black people, we asked John what it means to be anti-racist.

There's a big difference between being not-racist and being anti-racist. I know it doesn't seem like it. I know that both of these things seem equally good, but they're not.

Video Transcript Video Transcript

John: There's a big difference between being not-racist and being anti-racist. I know it doesn't seem like it. I know that both of these things seem equally good, but they're not. Think of an interaction. I'm afraid you've probably had one right? With somebody, maybe even somebody you respect, maybe even someone you love, who says something that's racist, does something that's racist, behaves in a way that's racist. Someone who's not-racist: they won't say or do anything in that moment. They want to not rock the boat. They don't want to be upstanding. Instead, not-racists: they tend to be bystanders. But afterwards, after the event, they'll find other people who are also not-racist and they'll talk to each other about, well, that was terrible, that thing that happened the other day. I would never say anything like that. Anti-racists are different and they come in all shapes and sizes. They come in all ages. Anti-racists are constantly looking around to say, what tools do I have available to make it clear that this is not acceptable? And this, this is what anti-racists do. It's not that they stand up at the dinner table when their uncle's a little bit racist and kick the turkey off. That's not it. But what they do is they say, I'm sorry uncle John. That's not acceptable. That's racist. Quietly and respectfully. What they do is they make sure that they never miss an opportunity to let the world know where they stand, even if they can t change everything. You're probably in a position where other people have a lot more power around you. I know how that feels. Sometimes, we sit and we look around us and we think, how can I possibly change all this? And sometimes you can't. But what you can do is make sure wherever you go, people know where you stand. They know that you're an anti-racist. You become a beacon of light that way. You become someone who makes other people want to be anti-racist too. You've got tools at your disposal. Learn. Read. And make everybody clear where you stand.

Sometimes, we sit and we look around us and we think, 'how can I possibly change all this?' And sometimes you can't. But what you can do is make sure wherever you go, people know where you stand. They know that you're an anti-racist. You become a beacon of light that way. You become someone who makes other people want to be anti-racist too. You've got tools at your disposal. Learn. Read. And make everybody clear where you stand.

If you need support

You should always tell someone about the things you're worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you're doing.

If you're in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on BBC Action Line.

It's important that you keep yourself safe when confronting racism. For support and advice, see the articles below.

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Not-racist v anti-racist: what's the difference?

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John Amaechi describes the difference between being not-racist and anti-racist.

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Helping Young Children to Think About Race in the Early Years

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Helping Young Children to Think About Race in the Early Years

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Improving Gender Balance Scotland in ELC (Education Scotland)

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Improving Gender Balance Scotland in ELC (Education Scotland)

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Improving Gender Balance Scotland - Action Guide for Primary (Education Scotland)

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Improving Gender Balance Scotland - Action Guide for Primary (Education Scotland)

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Challenging Gender Stereotypes in the Early Years - Changing the Narrative 

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Challenging Gender Stereotypes in the Early Years - Changing the Narrative 

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A book published September 2022

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NPFS wholeheartedly recommend the work of Susie and Barbara. Whether you are an early years parent/carer, practitioner or allied professional - they provide an incredible insight into how gender stereotypes can limit children and how we can reduce them, making positive changes to the lives and experiences of our children and young people.

Margaret Wilson, Chair, The National Parent Forum of Scotland

respect me, Scotland's Anti-Bullying Service sees gender stereotyping as a critical factor in many relationship, bullying and discrimination situations. This book delivers an invaluable resource for people who care for young children to understand why harmful attitudes towards gender stereotypes and inequalities, often emerging in the early years, can have lifelong impacts if left unchallenged.
Lorraine Glass, Policy and Improvement Manager, respectme
As Scotland gradually wakes up to the long-term social significance of early childhood care and education, this comprehensive and highly accessible guide to tackling gender stereotypes couldn't be more timely. Essential reading for all early years educators.
Sue Palmer, Chair, Upstart Scotland
Preventing violence against women and girls should start in the early years. Susie and Barbara's work helps practitioners understand the links between VAWG and the gender stereotypes that children are directed towards from an early age; and the significant part they can play in preventing it.
Davy Thompson, Campaign Director, White Ribbon Scotland
After being part of the documentary No More Boys and Girls I witnessed first hand the impact that gender stereotypes have on our children. Despite a rise in awareness there is still much work to be done and this book is paramount to helping educators make a difference to our children at an early stage - in my experience the earlier we can teach our children about spotting and dealing with stereotypes the better. This clear, practical guide is a must own for early years educators and written by experts in their field.
Graham Andre, Assistant Head at Lanesend Primary and teacher featured on No More Boys and Girls
Susie and Barbara are amazing and passionate trainers, who will open your eyes through their knowledge on gender equity. Their insights into this important subject will really challenge you to reflect on and update your practice.
Tracey Riseborough, Head of Kinderly Learn
A clear, logical and practical approach to addressing gender and other stereotypes in early years settings and why this is so important. A must-read for anyone studying or working in the early years and all early childhood settings.
Mary Beare Aust, Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, Institute of Technology Carlow

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Challenging Gender Stereotypes in the Early Years: Changing the Narrative

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What does gender equity mean for early years practitioners? What are early years settings already doing to promote gender equality, and why is this so important? How can we provide children with a solid basis from which they can grow into people who are not limited by society's expectations of their gender?

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Re-Engaging with Nature: A Froebelian Approach

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Re-Engaging with Nature: A Froebelian Approach

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The Black Nursery Manager

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Book & Podcast: Wish We Knew What to Say by Pragya Agarwal

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Book & Podcast: Wish We Knew What to Say by Pragya Agarwal

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The Anti-Racist Educator website for glossary and helpful resources

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The Anti-Racist Educator website for glossary and helpful resources

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A platform for anti-racist education with a Scottish perspective. A learning tool for raising racial consciousness. A safe space for engaging in critical reflections and discussions on race and education.

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Webinar on Anti-Racist Practice in Early Years

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Webinar on Anti-Racist Practice in Early Years

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1.5 hour long recorded webinar from 2021 through University of Edinburgh hosted by the Anti-Racist Early Years Collective (AREYC), the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES) and RACE.ED

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Who Defines Childhood Innocence? Anti-Racist Practice, White Fragility and Effective Allyship in Early Childhood

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10 May 2021Webinar event co-hosted by the Anti-Racist Early Years Collective (AREYC), the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES) and RACE.EDDespite a wealth of evidence that shows that young children experience direct and indirect racism and discrimination (Kustatscher, 2016; K…

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Racism pervades every aspect of life in Scotland:

Despite having equivalent qualifications, Black, Asian and minority ethnic Scots are more likely to be unemployed or in low paid work than their white counterparts.

People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to live in poverty.

Women from Black and minority ethnic communities in Scotland are 7 times more likely to die in childbirth than other ethnic groups.

About one third of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in Scotland report experiences of racial discrimination.

In 2014-15 there were 3,785 charges relating to racist hate crime in Scotland, the equivalent of 72 hate crimes per week. Racially motivated hate crime remains the most commonly reported type of hate crime in Scotland.

In 1989, on our own doorstep in Cowgate, racist youths murdered Somalian student Axmed Abuukar Sheekh. Sheekh and a Somalian friend were attacked by a gang of ten white men connected to the National Front,
"..screaming racist abuse, the thugs repeatedly punched, kicked and stabbed the two students on the head, arms and body."
His friend was hospitalised. Sheekh died of stab wounds.

Almost 30 years later, in May 2018, Shabaz Ali a Syrian refugee, was stabbed repeatedly by four white men and women in a racist attack in Upper Gilmore Place, Edinburgh.

"We ran away from war in Syria, I do not want to die here. This country is not safe for me." Shabaz said.
It is critical that we scrutinise our early years practice within this context. Does our practice, as a nursery, reinforce and perpetuate racism?
The Black Lives Matter campaign has forced us to focus on racism within the early years and to recognise that it is not enough to state that we are not racist. We must acknowledge and understand the many ways in which racism experienced by all people of colour affects our practice and commit ourselves to developing, with children and our whole community - an environment, culture and practice which is pro-actively anti-racist.

To this end, we have embarked upon an ongoing process of learning and action primarily, but not exclusively, facilitated through a regular reading and discussion group. Some of the resources that have informed our learning so far are included in the drop box at the bottom of the page.... please let us know of any other resources you think we should draw upon.

Many questions have already been generated:

Why does our team of practitioners not include any person of colour? How can we become more accessible to practitioners of colour?

Why are most families and children who use our nursery white? How can we become more accessible to children and families of colour?

How do children and families of colour experience our nursery? What changes in our practice would support them to feel that their needs are more effectively met?

What policy changes do we need to make to effectively uphold the rights of children and families of colour?

Do our resources reflect and value the lives of children of colour?

Do children of colour feel 'known' by us? Do we understand their experiences and value their identity? Does our approach to documenting children's lives within the setting reflect their needs as children of colour?

How well do we understand and respond to the experiences of different children of colour? For example, are we sensitive and responsive to the different experiences of Black girls and Black boys? How does racism intersect with transphobia? What is it like to be a child of colour with a disability?

How can we apply our learning to support children experiencing other forms of discrimination based, for example, on nationality, gender, gender identity, (dis)ability?

How can we better recognise the cultural differences between white children and how would this support anti-racist practice?

This is not an academic exercise, the value of our learning lies in the extent to which it changes our practice. Recently we have taken some small, but we hope significant actions:

Our children's library is now overflowing with books that encourage conversations about race and racism, which reflect the realities and celebrate the lives of children of many races and colours.

We have established a partnership with two nurseries in Accra, Ghana, and one in Edinburgh to explore the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, initially focusing on gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. As both countries have strong traditions in textiles (Tartan/Tweed and Kente cloth) we will begin by sharing and exploring clothing, fabrics, accessories, and their associations. This partnership has forced staff to look inwards at the culture of our learning community and the extent to which it perpetuates Eurocentric points of view, 'whiteness' and colonialism. Although nurseries in Accra are currently closed to children, our children have been able to engage in weekly zoom sessions with our Ghanaian colleagues, to have virtual tours of their communities and to exchange messages and photos. Our hope is that staff and children in Ghana and Scotland will learn together about the beauty, reality and challenges of life in our different nations. We hope that it will support us to find practical and meaningful ways of talking about race with our children, challenge negative perceptions and strengthen mutual care and respect.

We have made changes to the 'welcome' documentation given to new families, providing space for parents to share adverse experiences including exclusion based on race, gender, gender identity, disability, language, religion and how this might impact on their child's needs.

This is the beginning of an ongoing and profound conversation within our nursery, a conversation which will lead to further changes in our practice.

We ask our community to engage in this conversation and to hold us accountable. Is our nursery a place where children of colour are known, respected, and supported to flourish? What changes do we need to make in order to do better? Does our practice reinforce and perpetuate racism? What changes must we make in order to be more effectively anti-racist?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 Scottish Parliaments Equal Opportunities Committee 2016

2 Scottish Government 2020 3 http://www.cemach.org.uk/publications-Press-Releases/Report-Publications/maternal-Mortality.aspx

4 Meer, N 2016 'Self reported discrimination in Scotland in N. Meer (ed) Scotland and Race Equality: Directions in Policy and Identity: London: Runnymede Trust, 11-15

5 Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service 2019 'Hate Crime in Scotland', 2018-19.

6 Weir, Racist Violence: advice and support services for Black students in Lothian Region Edinburgh 1990 7 https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16366406.shabaz-ali-family-came-scotland-seeking-safety-war-torn-syria-almost-died-drug-fuelled-racist-attack-edinburgh/

Materials Discussed

Thursday, 23 July 2020:

Thursday, 20 August 2020:

Thursday, 24 September 2020:

Thursday, 15 October 2020:

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Racism pervades every aspect of life in Scotland: Despite having equivalent qualifications, Black, Asian and minority ethnic Scots are more likely to be unemployed or in low paid work than their white counterparts. People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to live in poverty.

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Exploring the relationship between a partnership for global learning and Froebelian practice. A fuller report available as a pdf at the bottom of this webpage.

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Skip to content

Connecting classrooms....connecting communities

Exploring the relationship between a partnership for global learning and Froebelian practice

How Froebelian practice has strengthened, and been shaped by, a partnership with Ghanaian practitioners to promote children's learning on issues like climate change, equity, and sustainable living.

As part of the 'Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning' initiative practitioners at Cowgate Under 5's, a Froebelian nursery in Edinburgh, have established a partnership with settings in Scotland and Ghana. Over the past year practitioners and children have met virtually on an almost weekly basis and created a solid platform for collaboration and shared learning.

This project explores how Froebelian practice has strengthened, and been shaped by this partnership. How the partnership has fostered a sense of local and global community reflecting Froebel's concept of unity and his assertion that individuals flourish within supportive communities.

Practitioners hoped that this partnership would deepen understandings of the connection between nature and humanity and nurture a sense of community and global citizenship. That it would inspire the Cowgate community to wonder about the world outside and to be part of positive change. They were eager to learn from other settings and passionate about sharing their view of children as capable partners in the navigation of these complex problems.

This partnership began during a process of deep reflection at Cowgate as practitioners sought to understand and address the ways in which racism affected their practice. They hoped that the partnership would expose white, Eurocentric and colonial perspectives and offer meaningful ways of talking about race and racism.

The commitment to social transformation, driving the partnership clearly advances Froebel's 'radical traditions' (Tovey, 2020). As May has written, 'Being Froebelian is also about advocacy for social and political change' (May, 2006).

Critical to the integrity of the project was the need to offer complete intellectual and emotional respect to children and to practitioners in partner settings. As Froebelians practitioners were committed to learning alongside children and responding to their interests and needs, as partners they were committed to respecting the pedagogies and approaches of practitioners in other settings. Reflecting this, the shape and direction of interactions and collaborations were determined through constant dialogue and negotiation, through careful listening and observation and through the identification of common interests and priorities.

Cowgate's culture box was received in Ghana. Here in Edinburgh, "N" watched a video of it being opened and heard Bertha say 'This is from our friends in Scotland.' "N" gasped, she replayed the video listening carefully then smiled broadly and said slowly: 'This is from our friends in Scotland....she said, our friends in Scotland'. N's moving response reflect the significance of this relationship to her and the sheer joy she felt at being described as a friend.

The partnership for global learning has strengthened Cowgate's Froebelian approach in profound and wonderful ways. Consistent with Froebel's holistic way of thinking it has unified children's learning into a meaningful whole rather than fragmented activities. The exchange of 'culture boxes', for example, has been a common thread through which children have been able to develop emotionally, socially, intellectually, and physically. For Froebel, people mattered, and relationships were intrinsic to children's learning (Tovey, 2020). The partnership has nurtured warm, joyful, and deeply significant relationships supporting children to identify connections between different environments, provoking their curiosity and prompting them to dream about traveling to Ghana and beyond. Froebel believed that the power to create symbols was a principal means of self-education (Froebel in Lilley, 1967) enabling children to see their ideas given visible form, reflect on them and share them (Tovey, 2020).The familiarity and warmth of the partnership's relationships has facilitated the emergence of children's inner symbolic life beautifully illustrated when L passed his 'vanilla ice cream pie', made of sand, through the ipad to his friends in Ghana strengthening their bond through the gift of nourishment.

The partnership has encouraged children to explore the identity of their own communities, their place within that identity and their connections with other communities. The love for and ownership of their coastal environment was particularly striking. When T shared with Bertha that he would like to see what shells are like in Accra this prompted them both to contemplate how connected their communities really are:

T: 'I think the shells will be the same.'

Bertha: 'I agree, they're the same sea!'

Finally, the partnership has strengthened Cowgate's commitment to anti-racism, prompting critical reflection on images within the setting and provoking meaningful conversations with children on race. Navigating discussions around race can be daunting for practitioners and Froebel's insights are particularly helpful. Through this partnership we have learned that some children already have considerable knowledge about other cultures, and what determines skin and hair colour. The role of the educator, Froebel argued, is to extend children's own thinking by connecting new ideas to existing knowledge and supporting them to build their understanding gradually (Tovey, 2020). This guidance is as relevant to deepening children's understandings of race and racism as it is to deepening their understanding of all other aspects of life.

The partnership for global learning has been life affirming and everyone involved is determined that it will be sustained. Partners have recently collaborated on an exchange of books exploring gender equality and have tentatively discussed extending the reach of our relationship to families and communities beyond our early years settings. We dream that practitioners will to be able to visit each other's settings in 2022 and who knows what else....this will be determined, as always, through dialogue and negotiation and sustained by the genuine joy and love that has been nurtured by our relationship so far.

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Skip to content Connecting classrooms....connecting communities Exploring the relationship between a partnership for global learning and Froebelian practice How Froebelian practice has strengthened, and been shaped by, a partnership with Ghanaian practitioners to promote children's learning on issues like climate change, equity, and sustainable living.

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Out to Play: practical guidance for creating outdoor play experiences for ELC

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Out to Play: practical guidance for creating outdoor play experiences for ELC

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Section 01: Forewords
Ministerial Foreword
The Scottish Government knows the importance of the early years of life for a child's development. That is why we have committed to expanding entitlement to funded early learning and childcare to 1140 hours/year by August 2020.

This expansion is rooted in delivering a high quality experience for our children and both our indoor and outdoor environments are key to that. We know the benefits outdoor play and learning can bring for young children in terms of their health and wellbeing, and physical and cognitive development. An important part of this is ensuring that our children have the daily, active outdoor play experience that we know is fundamental.

We recognise that one of the barriers to increased outdoor learning and play is a perceived difficulty in setting up or accessing an outdoor space. Within the Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland: Quality Action Plan we committed to help remove this barrier by producing this guide which supplies practical advice and support for Early Learning and Childcare settings and practitioners as well as the wider childcare sector.

This guide builds on a number of resources which promote outdoor learning within the education and childcare sectors. In 2016, the Care Inspectorate published the guidance My World Outdoors, which encourages further development of high quality outdoor play, and in 2017 Space to Grow was published as guidance for the Early Learning and Childcare 2020 expansion. This How to Guide complements these publications and also provides the important step-by-step, practical advice that we know will promote more use of the outdoors. As well as nursery settings, the guide is designed to be used by childminders, schools and out of school care settings who are looking to utilise local greenspace to enhance children's learning.

I would like to thank the Care Inspectorate and Inspiring Scotland for their work this year in shaping this guide. I commend its publication as an important step towards increased outdoor play and learning as part of the expansion of early learning and childcare by 2020 and beyond. I'm in no doubt of the impact this will have on nurseries, schools, after school and holiday clubs looking for guidance on how to utilise their local greenspace, whether that's in rural settings or right in the heart of our cities. I hope it assists in making it easier to get children outdoors, and to ensure that we create safe, nurturing and inspiring outdoor learning experiences which will no doubt help foster a true love of the outdoors in our young people that stays with them for a lifetime.

Maree Todd
Minister for Children and Young People
Chief Executive Foreword - Inspiring Scotland
Playing and learning outdoors is life-enhancing. Jumping in puddles, playing hopscotch in the street, exploring your local wood and throwing snowballs with friends is not just the stuff of fond childhood memories. It is how children grow, learn and discover.

Playing outdoors is good for children's health and wellbeing, it develops their social skills and it helps with cognitive development, preparing them for a lifetime of learning. Research from around the world shows the huge benefits of playing outdoors. At Inspiring Scotland, we want all Scotland's children to have the best possible start in life. And we passionately believe that having fun outdoors from an early age is the best way we can help our children to thrive.

Embedding outdoor play into the fabric of young people's lives will require us all to work together. Nurseries, schools, councils, community groups and families all have a role to play in supporting our children to get outside but we recognise that many people don't know where to start.

In producing this how-to-guide, we hope to equip you with the skills and knowledge that you need to make playing and learning outdoors an everyday experience for our children.

I would like to thank Scottish Government for their consistent and passionate support for outdoor play and learning, and to acknowledge their commitment to making Scotland the best place to grow up.

And I would like to thank Care Inspectorate and many other partners for producing this guide alongside us and their commitment to increasing outdoor play and learning. We believe this will be an invaluable publication that can support us all to do the best for our children, and to reengage us all with our beautiful environment, making Scotland an even more wonderful place to live for generations to come.

Celia Tennant
Chief Executive - Inspiring Scotland
Chief Executive Foreword - Care Inspectorate
This new guide is a result of partnership working between the Care Inspectorate and Inspiring Scotland.

The resource is important as it helps support the Scottish Government's A Blueprint for 2020: the Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland. In particular, this resource links to the Quality Action Plan (action 10), namely to, '...promote greater use of outdoor learning and physical activity by producing a 'how-to-guide on finding access to suitable outdoor areas and making the most of the opportunities that these offer to promote children's development.'

It provides practical advice on how to access local outdoor spaces and how outdoor nursery experiences can be developed, and takes into account Scotland's new Health and Social Care Standards.

The expansion of early learning and childcare in Scotland brings challenge and opportunity. There are exciting new opportunities to invest in and transform the way in which early learning and childcare is shaped and delivered. As part of this, we also have an important and timely opportunity to ensure that all children are offered high quality experiences as part of their provision.

We all know the benefits of outdoor learning, exercise and play for children. Playing, learning and having fun outdoors helps to improve wellbeing and resilience, as well as physical and mental health and also provides children with the opportunity to develop a life-long appreciation of the natural world. A growing body of research also shows a positive impact on educational attainment. The expansion of funded early learning and childcare provides an opportunity to define the type of experience we offer children during their early years.

I am pleased the Care Inspectorate and Inspiring Scotland have been able to support the development of this guide to setting up outdoor play-based childcare provision. It has been a welcome opportunity to support Inspiring Scotland's work with a number of local authorities, and their progress to deliver outdoor natural learning opportunities that will increase capacity in line with expansion, as well as to support quality outcomes. The benefits of outdoor play are highlighted and celebrated in the popular My World Outdoors resource and the Space to Grow publication. I hope you will find this 'how to' guide to be an equally practical and helpful resource.

Peter Macleod
Chief Executive - Care Inspectorate

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Out to Play - creating outdoor play experiences for children: practical guidance

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Scottish Government guidance and advice for early learning and childcare settings and practitioners on how to access outdoor spaces to create safe, nurturing and inspiring outdoor learning experiences.

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7 principles of natural play (David Sobel) in action at Stramash Fort William

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7 principles of natural play (David Sobel) in action at Stramash Fort William

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A really practical article about how Stramash use Sobel's 7 nature play design principles to create fantastic opportunities to play at their nursery.  There are suggestions of resources to buy to support this approach - but lots can be acquired for free using community links. And see post below!

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Essential Resources: Equip to reflect David Sobel's seven steps of natural play

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Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates.

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Simple and cheap ideas for garden/grounds improvements to support outdoor play.

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https://cawdorprimaryschool616823499.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/loose-parts-play-in-cawdor.pdf  Guidance for parents

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8 tips for choosing 'good' picture books featuring Black and Indigenous People and People of Colour (BIPOC)

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8 tips for choosing 'good' picture books featuring Black and Indigenous People and People of Colour (BIPOC)

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Inspiring case study of creating a natural play space in an Aberdeen nursery from tarmac 

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Inspiring case study of creating a natural play space in an Aberdeen nursery from tarmac 

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A free online course on creating high quality places for outdoor learning and play for 0-6 year olds. 

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A free online course on creating high quality places for outdoor learning and play for 0-6 year olds. 

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Erasmus + EYP course from Learning through Landscapes

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Quality spaces for outdoor learning and play in Early Years

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This free online course will take you through how to identify and develop high quality spaces for outdoor learning and play. The learning relates to Enabling Environments and a child led approach to learning and play.

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Sharing good practice in how early years services can provide play and learning wholly or partially outdoors

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Resource Type Care Inspectorate Programmes & Publications

Introduction

My World Outdoors set out our position on the risks to children from playing outdoors and addressed some of the myths that had built up regarding regulation. For example, services would assume that as the regulator we would not tolerate children taking part in risky activities such as climbing trees, cooking on real fires or playing near water. In fact the opposite is the case and for children's overall health and wellbeing we recognise that the benefits far outweigh the risks, which can be properly managed. This was starkly illustrated by William Bird's 2007 research published by Natural England and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which shows that children have progressively lost the right to roam freely from their home within four generations. So we issued a clear policy statement in My World Outdoors and ran a national roadshow in partnership with Play Scotland to address these myths.

We also wanted to tell the inspiring story of how specialist outdoor-based services have developed in Scotland. When the first forest nursery applied to be registered, this presented a dilemma for our predecessor body the Care Commission. Having a nursery fully immersed in a woodland setting without a nursery building did not meet many of the traditional environmental standards and there were concerns about the infection control risk. These concerns were overcome and through this we learned to be more flexible in how standards are applied so that children can realise the benefit of what the Japanese call 'Shin-rin Yoku' or 'forest bathing'. Since 'The Secret Garden' in Fife was registered as the UK's first outdoor-based nursery, we have been actively supporting the growth of these unique specialist services. Scotland now has almost 20 of these services and we were pleased to register the first outdoor-based out of school care service.

The more balanced approach to risk as set out in My World Outdoors is also reflected in the new Health and Social Care Standards, with one stating:

"I make informed choices and decisions about the risks I take in my daily life and am encouraged to take positive risks which enhance the quality of my life."

These Standards are radical in that they focus on what people should expect from any type of care service rather than provider inputs. Rather than inspecting tangible measures such as records, policies or infection control procedures, we are asking the 'so what' question and assessing the impact a service is having on an individual's outcomes. So for outdoor play, as well as inspecting whether an outdoor play area is safe and well equipped, we are now inspecting the quality of children's outdoor play experience and what they do when they are outside. The most relevant Standard for outdoor play states:

"As a child, I play outdoors every day and regularly explore a natural environment."

The Care Inspectorate carries out a large number of inspections each year and we want to use the knowledge we gain from this to best effect by highlighting the good practice that we are finding. With Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) consisting of range of different services - including playgroups, out of school care and childminders as well as different nursery types - we are the only national body that visits all services for children operating across the country. So we want to use this privileged position to share and celebrate the positive experiences we are seeing.

It is often easier to adopt a risk-averse position and to focus on the negatives for children in today's society. And there is plenty to be negative about, with Scotland's topping the international league tables for obesity and the amount of time children spend looking at screens, while attainment levels continue to fall. My World Outdoors celebrates our strengths as an international leader in outdoor play. While we may still fall behind Scandinavian countries, our innovative and flexible approach has generated significant international interest. For instance, we were recently funded to advise Canadian Government regulators on the development of outdoor play provision.

My World Outdoors also recognises that this is part of our rich national heritage. When the Robert Owen established what many call the world first nursery school in New Lanark, this was based on the benefits of nature and physical play.

"The children were not to be annoyed with books... the schoolroom for the infants' instruction was furnished with paintings, chiefly of animals, with maps, and often supplied with natural objects from the gardens, fields and woods - the examination and explanation of which always excited their curiosity ...

...their chief occupation will be to play and amuse themselves in severe weather: at other times they will be permitted to occupy the inclosed area before the building; for, to give children a vigorous constitution they ought to be kept as much as possible in the open air."

(Robert Owen)

Similarly, when a previous State funded expansion of ELC took place at the beginning the 20th Century, in Scotland this took the form of a network of 'Child Gardens' in urban areas. These Child Gardens were based on Froebelian principles of natural play, with children spending most of the day outdoors and each child having their own vegetable plot.

Since My World Outdoors was published, the Care Inspectorate has worked with Scottish Government and Inspiring Scotland to produce further guidance promoting outdoor play as part of ELC expansion. These include:

* Space to Grow
* Out to Play

As part of our ongoing work with Scottish Government promoting the development of outdoor play for children, we have published 'Seeing the wood for the trees'. This is an academic paper that charts how the regulation of early learning and childcare has evolved to improve children's experience of outdoor play. The paper will contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the scrutiny of care and will be added to the course materials for the Professional Development Award. There is considerable interest in the role that we are playing in supporting the flourishing of outdoor play in Scotland. For example, the Lawson Foundation is funding the Care Inspectorate to give a keynote address at a conference in Canada and our presentation will be based on this paper.

Outdoor-based daycare of children services

Since registering the UK's first full-time forest nursery, the Care Inspectorate has welcomed the increasing number of new outdoor-based services being registered (and existing services becoming outdoor-based), which have expanded to include voluntary sector playgroups, local authority nurseries and out-of-school clubs, as well as private nurseries. We define an outdoor-based service as one that describes itself as a specialist outdoor service and where children spend the majority of time outdoors.

Opportunities for children to play outdoors and explore their natural environment have generally become more limited within local communities. This was starkly illustrated by William Bird's 2007 research published by Natural England and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which shows that children have progressively lost the right to roam freely from their home within four generations. So increasingly the role of registered early learning and childcare services is to proactively ensure that children have a range of experiences outdoors, from the service's own outdoor play area, local parks and further afield.

Children's experiences and their capacity to learn and develop are enhanced by being able to experience nature first hand. Simply being outside in fresh air is beneficial, but when children are helped to actively explore nature themselves the dividends for improving outcomes are exponential. If staff help children to develop their own free-flow play activities outdoors and learn through nature, then we are seeing children flourish. Many children become more confident, co-operative, calm and content. And for some children it can be transformative. For children experiencing emotional and behavioural problems or struggling in a traditional formal setting, immersion in a natural setting can be therapeutic and release their potential.

In 2008 The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery was set up in the Howe of Fife and was registered as Scotland and the UK's first specialist full-time outdoor-only service. The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery was conceived when Cathy Bache began providing a specialist outdoor play experience as a registered childminder in 2004. With the support of her Care Commission inspector, Cathy overcame the concerns of the statutory agencies regarding risks to children to establish a very successful and popular service. The Care Commission's experience of registering this innovative service helped the regulator to appreciate that the benefits outweighed the risks and delivered positive outcomes for children attending.

These new outdoor-based forest nurseries follow in the footsteps of the pioneers of Scottish early learning and childcare. For example, from 1903 a network of child gardens was established in Edinburgh, based in single-storey buildings with each nursery playroom opening onto its own large veranda and spacious garden.

As described by a visitor to one of these child gardens: "The crowning glory of the place is the garden, and the story of how that was made from waste ground used as a rubbish heap. A little plot has been made and a few seeds sown in the waste places of the Canongate, and it has become a garden for work and play..." ('Diary of A Free Kindergarten', Lileen Hardy, 1913)

The Care Inspectorate is committed to promoting and improving the quality of outdoor play for children in line with key national policy and guidance which set out national expectations. The most relevant are the Getting it Right for Every Child, Curriculum for Excellence 3-18 , Health and Social Care Standards the Play Strategy for Scotland: Our Vision, the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014and the Building the Ambition: National Practice Guidance on Early Learning and Childcare.

What the Care Inspectorate expects

The role of providers and staff is to work out the main physical and environmental risks and take steps to reduce them. You need to balance the risks against the benefits and make children the main focus of the risk-benefit assessment process.

While we acknowledge that every setting is individual, as a minimum we expect children and young people of all ages to experience:

Routine access to a stimulating outdoor play area including daily opportunities to spend time outdoors and, if children attend full-time, part of their day should be spent outdoors

Freedom of choice to move between the indoor and outdoor environments, whenever practicable

The opportunity to explore the natural environment

Access to a range of high-quality outdoor play and learning opportunities throughout the year

Resources to support learning and development

Through access to a range of outdoor activities we expect that children will:

Participate in a wide range of activities that will support a healthy lifestyle

Develop the skills to assess and manage risk

Experience personal achievement and build confidence

Explore and make choices

Develop physical skills through movement and energetic play

Looking through the SHANARRI lens

Safe

Know each child as individual. This means you can help enable them to access an environment safely, so that most activities are within their capabilities but some will challenge them to develop their physical skills and confidence further.

Consider children's potential to learn and benefit by taking risks. As children and young people develop they need to try new things and learn new skills. They need to work out risks for themselves as part of their learning process.

Involve children in the risk-benefit assessment process so they can develop their knowledge and self-awareness and contribute more of their ideas and learning. By including children in the risk assessment process, you can empower them to make safe decisions.

Healthy

As a provider or practitioner, your role is to help children experience the highest standards of physical and mental health, and support them to make healthy, safe choices.

Playing and learning outdoors offers other benefits, such as development of the senses: hearing; vision; smell; and spatial awareness, as well as increasing capacity for learning.

All children's services will have unique aims and premises that may or may not lend themselves easily to outdoor experiences. Imagination and creativity are important. Within everyone's wider community there are environments where children's health can benefit from playing and learning outdoors. For example, parks, woodland, beaches, farmland and allotments can all be used to help support better health outcomes.

Achieving

It is important that you find ways to provide children with opportunities for outdoor learning. Any outdoor area whether it be beach, forest or well-resourced, adapted tarmac playground can provide a rich environment to excite exploration, investigation and open-ended play to help develop children's thinking and creativity skills.

To help you reflect on your service's outdoor practice, ask yourself:

Have we planned for and provided resources for a range of rich outdoor learning experiences across the curriculum?

Do we need advice from a specialist agency such as Grounds for Learning to help us develop our outdoor play area or programme of activities?

Do we have high expectations of what children might learn outdoors?

What is the best way to ask children what they want to do or learn outdoors?

Nurtured

You can create opportunities for babies, children and young people to connect with nature and the outdoors. Children who are dealing with negative issues in their lives often express themselves in behaviours that may cause disruption indoors: running and shouting; boisterous play; climbing and jumping. These types of behaviours can be expressed in the space and freedom of the outdoors with much less negative reactions from adults and less impact on the children's peers. Children may need the time and space of the outdoors to be alone, to work through scenarios in play, or to vent anger and frustration. The outdoors offers children the chance to come together with others in their own time, to play in parallel, to learn the rules of negotiation from the sidelines and gradually join in and become part of the team. Being able to make choices about where and how they spend their time can support children to develop self-regulation skills. With the right environment and equipment emotions can be expressed in positive skills and achievements; supporting children's resilience, self-esteem, health and wellbeing.

Responsive care giving from interested and engaged adults will enable children to get the best out of their outdoor experiences. For example:

Being sensitive to children's emotional wellbeing

Respecting children's interests and choices

Role modelling a positive attitude towards the outdoors in all weathers

Interacting to support children's enjoyment and learning

Ensuring that children are dressed appropriately for the weather

Active

You should ensure that children have appropriate opportunities to enjoy a range of suitable physical activities, including some vigorous activity.

When planning the programme of activities, you could ask the following questions of staff, children and parents:

How much time and opportunities do children in your settings have for vigorous physical activity?

What outdoor activities could you introduce to help meet the physical activity guidelines?

Using the Early Years Collaborative Model for Improvement could help you to plan and improve children's opportunities and experiences outdoors.

Respected

Most children generally love to be outdoors and they have a right to access nature. As discussed in previous sections the benefits of outdoor play and learning to children's development, health and wellbeing are many. We can respect children by developing our skills as enablers; helping children to have access and take part, taking account of what we know from our relationship with the child, our observations of them and what they tell us about their individual preferences, views and ideas.

For example, you might reflect on children's personalities and ask yourself questions such as:

Who in our setting would enjoy and benefit from risky, energetic, physical activity?

Do we have quieter, creative children who would prefer sitting on the grass exploring transient art with flower petals and leaves?

Is this child a water baby who wants to splash in puddles or dam a stream?

What can an individual child be successful in achieving that will boost their self-esteem?

How can we collaborate and role-model while letting children and young people take the lead?

Are we reinforcing this child's achievements with positive feedback and praise?

You respect children using care services when you ensure all of them are:

Listened to

Able to influence the service you provide

Included

Not discriminated against on any basis

Given equal opportunities and can participate fully

Able to reflect on their experiences and contribute to improving the service.

Responsible

Giving children opportunities to engage with their local environment can help develop their responsibility within their own community. Topics include: waste management, habitat or wildlife protection; or exploring sustainability in the key areas of Scotland's fishing, farming, energy, tourism and forestry. Projects for young children should be relevant, understandable real-life experiences that extend their natural interest and enquiry. For example, growing and eating their own produce or sharing produce with another group in the community have become commonplace. Many settings have worked towards the Eco-school Scotland Award. For older children, perhaps in out-of-school care or residential settings, they might enjoy discovering, exploring and conserving a local wild place and sharing their learning while working toward the John Muir Award, run by the John Muir Trust.

Included

Cultural Inclusion:

In Getting it Right for Every Child, ensuring children are included means examining each child as an individual and ensuring they can take part, feel included and accepted. Children's self-esteem relies on their culture and diversity being valued and celebrated and feeling they can contribute equally.

Encouraging children to engage with the local community in local outdoor projects helps all children to feel included in the sense of the New Zealand early years guidance 'iki'; to have a sense of place, belonging and identity, to have two-way engagement with the community. These aspects are important in building all children's self-confidence and self-esteem.

Physical Inclusion and Disability:

For each child, think about accessibility, their stage of development and physical ability. For example, this could mean thinking about creating safe spaces for babies to crawl, explore and develop their senses. If any child has mobility or sight impairment, sensory considerations are crucial. You should plan thoughtfully so that everyone is included, rather than taking separate measures to meet the needs of an excluded group. You should consider accessible pathways and manageable gradients for your service's grounds. However, your areas need not be sterile - think about adding interest and sensory experience, with varying materials, for example. The public areas you visit should already be accessible but may pose challenges that need creative solutions.

Social Inclusion:

Services can play an important role in ensuring that outdoor play is seen as something that can be enjoyed by girls and boys alike. Social attitudes and values can mean not all parents and carers see outdoor play as an equal opportunity for both girls and boys. Economic barriers may need to be overcome if payments are required for 'extra-curricular' activities.

There are close links in ensuring children are included by respecting their views and interests, and involving them in planning and risk assessments of their own abilities.

For most children, the outdoors can be a great leveller, offering an environment where they can be free to participate in their own way - an environment where all differences are respected and can play on common ground.

You can promote equality and ensure that children are not excluded, for example because they don't have the right clothing or footwear or attend part-time.

The outdoors should offer opportunities for children to play in wider age groups and with siblings in the same setting, or in the community. The outdoors experience can support children to build friendships, familial relationships and a have wider sense of community that helps them to feel included.

The Care Inspectorate is conscious of the importance of striking a balanced approach to risk in order to achieve the best outcomes for children. For example, we have seen how the use of written risk assessments for everyday activities can become unnecessarily restrictive. While a written risk assessment may be necessary for a particular activity, if applied disproportionately to routine play activities, then this can result in unintended consequences, with staff spending so much time completing paperwork that it either takes them away from working directly with children or makes them decide that it is not worth planning the activity in the first place.

We are therefore encouraging a reasonable and proportionate approach and actively countering any assumption that as a regulator we are expecting written risk assessments for routine play activities. A traditional approach to risk assessment tends to focus solely on eliminating negative aspects of risk rather than also embracing its benefits.

We are therefore actively promoting a risk-benefit approach and produced the following statement on risk in play:

"The Care Inspectorate supports care service providers taking a positive approach to risk in order to achieve the best outcomes for children. This means moving away from a traditional deficit model that takes a risk-averse approach, which can unnecessarily restrict children's experiences attending registered services, to a more holistic risk-benefit model. For example, we encourage services to use risk assessment to support children to enjoy potentially hazardous activities such as woodwork using real tools, exploring nature and playing in the mud and rain. We do not expect written risk assessments to be carried out for daily play activities." 30 October 2015

Further reading

Here's what others have done - what can you do?

Where our inspectors have identified particularly effective or innovative practice in outdoor play and learning, we have asked some care services to describe what they are doing and why they are doing it.

Their experiences, in their own words, are presented here. We believe this is an effective way of sharing good practice and can help to improve the overall quality of early learning and childcare across Scotland.

Of course we know there are many excellent care services which we have not been able to feature here, and there are many more examples in My World Outdoors.

Amber Kindergarten - Magic moment
Children are outside every day, in the playground or in the nearby forest, which is a five-minute walk away. Here are some of the benefits for children being outside that the service identifies:

"In our experience, children benefit enormously by being outdoors - a different mood comes over the whole group and each individual child seems to instantaneously relax. The contact with natural materials and textures feeds the sensory being of the child and brings them to instinctively experiment, investigate and elaborate. The children spontaneously share their experiences, and the imagination and creativity are given free rein. Social skills and language can be greatly improved in these situations. "The learning that happens outdoors touches all areas of child development and deeply nourishes the growing child. It is interesting to see how shy and withdrawn children can gradually open up when playing outside and come to feel more confident and strong.

"An important aspect of outdoor time is the possibility to observe the changes in nature, the transformation of the elements and the interdependence of all living beings. Besides the obvious element of 'scientific' learning, these experiences, in my opinion, give the child a deep sense of belonging, allowing them to feel part of a wonderful, ever-changing world. Ultimately, these are the seeds of resilience.

"One such magic moment happened a few years ago on a crisp, cold, winter morning. We were walking on the road to go back to the kindergarten when the sun came out and it was warm and strong. After a while, from the roofs and from the meadow, a thin film of mist started to rise. We were singing and from our mouths, the same was happening. The children started to laugh and were excited that they could do the same and make mist, just like the Earth. And not in a million years, as a teacher, could I have hoped to teach them that; that we are all part of the world and we belong together."

Aberdour Playgroup - At the Beach

"We have found that the imaginative games that evolve from the beach are continued on the children's return to the playroom. The children direct their own play; they have a respected voice in their learning. One example of this was when a couple of the boys started acting out the Peter and Paul birdie rhyme as they played on the beach. They were singing the rhyme and using the space to run along the shoreline to fly away and come back. On our return to playgroup, the boys wanted to make Peter and Paul puppets. They rummaged in the junk box and raided the art table and found all
the materials they needed to make their puppets. As they were doing this one or two of the other children decided they would like to make bird puppets too. With only a little (very little) direction from the play leaders, three or four puppets were created. Then, as a whole group, they decided they would like to put on a puppet show, so they all decorated the climbing frame, sorted out their roles, put out chairs for an audience and put on a show for all the children and adults in the playroom.

"As practitioners, we just stood back, observed, admired the creativity, problem solving, choice making and confidence they all showed. As a demonstration of the curriculum in action, we need look no further. The beach provided the catalyst, the rest evolved."

Outdoor play examples

Services have been using the My World Outdoors resource and sharing their experiences of outdoor play with us.

These examples have been submitted by services after the Care Inspectorate published My World Outdoors. Their experiences, in their own words.

We publish regular inspection reports for all care services - and grades can go up and down depending on what we see. The examples here should always be read in conjunction with the latest inspection report.

If you want to let us know how you're using the My World Outdoors resource or your own experiences of outdoor play, please get in touch via hub@careinspectorate.com or go to Submit Your Story.

3 Bears Nursery operates from a converted church in Renfrew. It is registered to provide full day-care for children aged from six weeks to those not yet attending primary school.

"The vision within the 3 Bears is to provide a stimulating and challenging environment for learning through quality outdoor play. We have now completed our first block of forest schools which was a success.

"Leanne McCartney is our Forest Schools co-ordinator who has been at the heart of driving this project forward. When Leanne completed her training she shared it with all service users. Although there was a lot of apprehension initially with both the staff team and parents, Leanne took time to fully engage with them through small interactive workshops to give them a full understanding of the benefits of the forest School programme and outdoor learning.

"Forest school provides a huge amount of benefits for children such as an increase in their self-belief and self-discipline; it builds on their confidence, learning capacity, enthusiasm, communication and problem-solving skills and over-all well-being. The children are encouraged to become much more independent but also gained the skills to work as part of a team.

"The children embraced the outdoor learning environment in all weathers, thriving in all of nature's elements. They were fully involved in organising their day at the forest - from packing their individual back packs to risk assessing the area. They were also encouraged to use specific language such as 'boundaries', 'risk assessing', and 'keeping ourselves safe' which led to full discussions on how to ensure they were safe such as having a 'leader', 'ender' and why we had the boundaries in place. The children were keen to climb trees so staff encouraged them to risk assess and discuss the dangers and ways to keep safe. The children were then encouraged to freely explore ways in which they could climb trees safely

"Children took ownership of their own learning as each week they discussed what they would like to learn or explore. They looked in depth at the Julia Donaldson book 'Stickman' where they used their creativity to discover different ways in which the forest could be useful to create their own Stickman stories. Throughout their time at the forest children started to notice changes in the environment as the seasons were changing from winter to spring."

"My favourite part was setting up boundaries. We put ribbon on the trees which we couldn't pass, this helped us keep safe" Ryan aged 5

Bowhouse Primary School Nursery operates a morning and afternoon day care session in Grangemouth. It is registered to provide day care for children aged three years to those not yet attending primary school.

"Bowhouse Nursery Class in Grangemouth has enjoyed a positive partnership with the rangers of Scottish Wildlife Trust at Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre for many years and in recent years we have been making regular seasonal visits.

"The aims of our visits are very much linked to and influenced by curriculum and SHANARRI principles.

In particular we aim to promote:

The children's awareness of the seasons, their influence on nature and the natural environment.

Encouraging the children to use their senses in a rich natural sensory environment.

Enjoyment of the natural environment in all weathers with appropriate clothing.

Promoting learning across the curriculum through hands on, interactive, social, fun learning experiences.

Children and families awareness and interest in Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre as a free local resource.

"We have found our visits to Jupiter have proved popular with children and parents alike. Our parents drop off the children at the ranger office and collect the children at the end of the nursery session. Many parents offer to help and join in enthusiastically. Den building is especially popular with dad who help, well let's be honest you're never too old to build a den! After his first visit one dad booked the other dates as holidays from work so he could help. we are extremely grateful to him for his den building skills and the joyful play experiences his son engages in with his friends and dad, appear to be a wonderful reward and we are sure building many happy memories.

"Our play sessions loosely follow seasonal themes to help us plan and resource the experiences; like a Halloween theme which lends itself nicely to smelly woodlands potions and a spooky treasure hunt.

We have found the Natures' Detectives site useful for activity ideas and resources.

"While we have a broad plan in place, no two visits are the same. We have found as we have grown in confidence, the positive role models experienced pre-school children provide for younger children along with regular use of our woodland kit of a small magnifying glass, a treasure collection bag and ponchos on hand for heavy rain have all encouraged the children to develop more independent investigations, co-operation and problem solving skills."

Elphinstone Primary Schools Nursery operates from the building of Elphinstone Primary School, which is situated in a small village in the East Lothian Countryside. It is registered to provide day care for children with morning sessions during term time.

"The playroom has views across fields and onwards to the Lammermuir Hills. Being surrounded by nature provides the perfect background in which to immerse ourselves within.
We believe that children benefit hugely from access to nature and so have introduced as much nature as possible indoors as well as in our outdoor garden. Our children have sticks, shells, pine cones and other natural materials all year round and these are enhanced with seasonal materials such as leaves in Autumn, blossom in Spring for example. The children are not only able to watch the seasons change from their outdoor surroundings but experience it within their indoor space too.

"While our outdoor space is compact it has quality learning opportunities. Using recycled tyres and large sticks, a den in summer has beans and peas growing and in winter can be made into a shelter using tarpaulins.

"The children are encouraged to stretch their own personal boundaries, taking small risks which they feel comfortable with. These risks allow the children's confidence to grow and we often witness children who have overcome one hurdle to stand, talk and support another child through the same thing until that child is comfortable.

"Our children attend 'nature play' sessions in a local woodland where they experience 'wild' nature. During these sessions they experience a whole host of things, the heightening of their senses with the changing light, the feeling of going somewhere wild with only nature surrounding them and physical challenges that they experience with the uneven ground to name a few. Their confidence grows the more they visit the site and they start to become bolder in the activities they do while they are there. The feeling of inclusion as they are all there together, doing something as a group and working co-operatively are all achieved through these visits.

"A child dissected an apple bit by bit describing and naming the parts of it. She then counted the number of pips it had and decided she wanted to plant them. The other children loved to help water it and measure how big it had grown and so decided what else they'd like to plant. They also gather fruits and vegetables that grow in the nursery garden as well as the school playground and decide what they want to do with them. In Autumn there are always calls for blackberry and apple crumble or leek and potato soup!"

Jenna Campbell Childminding Service is based in Ayr and registered to childmind a maximum of six children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months.

"My garden was a blank canvas when I started childminding, as we had only just moved into the property six months previous. My sons birthday was coming up in the June, and as he loves being outdoors, my focus was to create him a simple play area. It started off with my husband fencing off a small area to the back, where we laid wood chip down and got a variety of plastic items such as a slide and sandpit.

"My ideas then just grew from there, and over the winter months ahead I planned areas for development starting the following spring. I don't have a separate play room for my childminding, and work from our family living room, so the garden was where I could let my ideas flow and really use my imagination. My reason behind each area is to provide a fun and enticing environment, which also provides endless learning opportunities. I took basic ideas for each area, then with the help of google, childminding forums, and forest school websites, I was able to bring those ideas together and have a plan in my head for what I wanted to include.

"Currently we have 7 main areas, but they do all merge and flow into one another. These include a water wall, nature watch, music and sensory corner, a mud kitchen, a sand pit, a large chalk wall, and a climbing structure. I would say 60% of materials used were either donated, recycled or simply found by myself and the kids whilst out on one of our walks. It took quite a bit of imagination and vision but a lot of the areas were made completely from items considered as 'rubbish'. I have a love for natural materials and tried to use this where possible. All the work was carried out by myself and my husband on our days off and we were very open when developing each area. My ideas grew and changed at the last minute of building. It is very much an on going project but the work roughly took 4 weeks, going from a blank space to having each playarea clearly there. I would never consider it finished though!

"My parents love my emphasis on outdoor play and all have been very supportive in our developing of the garden, handing in items they felt I could make use of. So far the garden has been a great success with each child in my care, they all have their favourite area, and we are constantly developing and adding new bits in to suit their needs."

BBN Investments Ltd trading as The Club Out of School Care & Community Hubis based in Whitburn and registered to provide a day care service to a maximum of 56 school age children.

"Play is so important, vital to the healthy development of our young people especially today as they don't have as much opportunities/access to outdoor play. We live and are captivated, in a world of social media which has impacted on how young people play, with peer social interactions occurring without young people having to take a step outside.

"We can provide young people with the opportunity to experience regular fun outdoor play.

"The service I manage (The Club) is big and spacious, we offer all 16 play types ensuring we are offering a varied, FUN, stimulating and RISKY play programme. We provide a fantastic, popular, busy, expanding club with an abundance of opportunities indoors but we don't have an outdoor space. However, this has never been a barrier or affected the quality of service we deliver as all young people have regular access to being outdoors.

"Rain or shine we are out in all weathers. Parents are extremely happy that their child has outdoor opportunities, are engaged in rich, risky, fun play and are happy. They provide their child with wellies, water proofs, and change of clothes and off we go rain or shine!!

2We are centrally located between two play parks, one has a basketball court, football pitch and a woodland area as well as a park. The other play park is newly designed with a generous amount of green space which we use to provide many exciting play experiences. We have Polkemmet Park a few miles down the road with a wonderful woodland area.

"We believe it is paramount that young people have the opportunity to access outdoor play daily. Every space should be seen as a blank canvas allowing creativity and providing rich memorable play experiences they will never forget.

"At our club we like to take play a step further. The young people have enjoyed mud/ water sliding, messy play, water pistol fights, den building, forestry and much more, all within their local community. This is play they may never get to experience otherwise. They are exposed to the elements, out in all weathers, nothing stops us! My favourite sayings are "we won't melt" and "not such a thing is bad weather it's bad clothing"

"Outdoor play is a main feature within our club. We believe our young people are learning and developing new/ existing skills such as problem solving, positive peer socialisation, negotiation, building confidence, self-esteem, risk taking/ decision making. "We are an outdoor classroom where skills learned are lifelong" Nowadays many children are wrapped in cotton wool and don't get enough physical exercise. They need to be out in their local communities building resilience, trying new experiences pushing themselves to climb that tree a bit higher, jump from the high beam, fall over and start again.

"So please If you have an outdoor space USE IT, if you have barriers REMOVE them, and the rest will evolve.........Always work less and PLAY hard!"

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Resource Type Care Inspectorate Programmes & Publications Introduction My World Outdoors set out our position on the risks to children from playing outdoors and addressed some of the myths that had built up regarding regulation.

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The work of Intercultural Youth Scotland

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The work of Intercultural Youth Scotland

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In depth reports on issues around anti-racism from young BPOC around Scotland

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As we celebrate PRIDE this month, IYS had the pleasure of catching up with the amazing Drop-In Team at local organisation, CREW - an outreach-based charity specialising in non-stigma-based support

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Intercultural Youth Scotland (IYS) is Scotland's leading charity for Black and People of Colour (BPoC) youth. ‍‍We are a community, a service and a voice for BPoC young people, providing a safe space and a place to nurture their talents.