My World Outdoors

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 and 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.