A collective of national organisations is calling for a “reimagining” of school grounds across Scotland.
Learning through Landscapes (LtL), the Landscape Institute and Queen Margaret University are hosting an interactive conference in March on how to change the design of school grounds and how they are used.
More than 80 per cent of school grounds in Scotland consist of open tarmac and mown grass, says LtL, because they “have historically been created and maintained on a ‘lowest cost’ basis”.
The organisations that have come together say there is to suggest that “transforming school grounds into playful and nature-rich environments is a powerful approach to achieve multiple benefits”.
Rethinking school grounds
The suggested benefits include improvements in physical and mental health, social and cognitive skills, creativity and academic performance. The collective also points to the “environmental benefits of climate adaption, improved biodiversity and community engagement”.
Contributors to the event on Friday 21 March include children’s mental health charity Place2Be, Play Scotland and Public Health Scotland.
The day will focus on the need to improve school grounds for those who design, build, maintain and use these vital spaces. Themes that will be explored include: “designing out violence”, play, nature and lessons learned from the transformation of NHS outdoor spaces.
Matt Robinson, Scotland director of LtL, said: “We expect that the day will help inform current practice and the upcoming , as well as set a vision that we can transform school grounds into vibrant, inclusive and inspiring spaces that restore childhood and secure a brighter future for all our children and young people in Scotland.”
The conference will be held on Friday 21 March at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, with .
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