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FREE SCHOOL WORKSHOP – Outdoor Detectives!
If your school Is looking for a great playground transformation, start with one question…
"What do our pupils really need?"
Successful school outdoor spaces aren’t always about scale or budget. They’re the ones where the needs of the children are at the heart of the design.
Thinking about investing in a new playground, outdoor learning area or early years space? Experience and research tell us the best people to ask are the children who use the space every day. They know where they play, where they relax, where they feel comfortable, what works well — and what they’d love to change.
That’s why The School Playground Company is offering your school or early years setting a FREE, interactive Outdoor Detectives workshop, giving you the best possible start to your outdoor space investment.
Why get your children involved?
Adults don’t always experience an outdoor space in the same way as children.
An open area may be a football pitch to one child and an overwhelming space to another.
Your children see and experience their school environment differently — and that’s exactly why their perspective can be valuable.
Research into participatory school playground design suggests that involving children in transforming their environments can help develop a sense of ownership and partnership, while giving them opportunities to contribute to decisions that affect them.
Meaningful participation isn’t about letting your children design whatever they want. It’s about listening to their experiences and using those insights alongside professional design, safety, budget and practical considerations.
What will your school’s Outdoor Detectives investigate?
Through fun, hands-on and age-appropriate activities, your children will explore:
- How they currently use their outdoor space
- What they love — and what they don't
- How different areas make them feel
- Their favourite places — and why
- How they play, explore, socialise, relax and learn
- Where they feel safe — and where they don't
- What they would change
- What they'd like to see in a new space
- What inclusive play could look and feel like
- Why shade, shelter and all-weather spaces matter
- How playgrounds are designed and built
- How budgets, space, safety and practicality influence design
It’s about understanding what your children need from an outdoor space, rather than simply asking which piece of equipment they want.
Why does your school’s outdoor environment matter?
Research suggests that well-designed outdoor environments can support more than physical activity.
A systematic review into outdoor learning found reported benefits including increased engagement, social and collaborative skills, self-concept and some academic outcomes.
When planning a school outdoor space, you aren’t simply choosing equipment. You are creating an environment for Play, Learning, Movement, Social interaction, Exploration and Wellbeing.
Your children use your school outdoor space every day and can provide valuable insight into how it works.
Designing with your children, not simply for them
Your children don’t all experience your school’s outdoor space in the same way.
Some want energetic physical play. Others may prefer imaginative play, nature, sensory experiences, social spaces or somewhere quiet.
Talking to your children about these differences can help your school consider inclusion from the beginning.
UNICEF guidance on child participation emphasises giving children meaningful opportunities to express their views and ensuring those views reach the people who can make decisions.
Of course, not every suggestion can become part of the final design. Budgets, space, safety, accessibility and maintenance all matter.
Giving your children a voice doesn’t mean giving them everything they ask for. It means genuinely listening to their needs.
A workshop led by someone who understands children
Your Outdoor Detectives workshop is delivered by an enhanced DBS-checked former teacher with more than 20 years’ classroom experience. Having worked in the play industry for several years, they know a bit about play too!
Ready to unleash your school’s Outdoor Detectives?
LET THE INVESTIGATION BEGIN
Sources and further reading
Wolf et al. (2024) — Participatory Design for Community Schoolyards: research exploring children’s participation in schoolyard design and potential benefits including ownership and partnership.
Mann et al. (2022) — Nature-specific outdoor learning: systematic review of 147 studies examining educational, social and wellbeing outcomes.
UNICEF UK — The Right to Participation: guidance on meaningful child participation in decisions that affect children.
