Scottish School Grounds Survey
Learning through Landscapes are delighted to be working alongside Professor John McKendrick, with support from Play Scotland and NatureScot, on a Scottish School Grounds Survey.
This survey will be sent to all schools across Scotland in January 2025, inviting responses which focus on the provision and usage of school grounds. All respondents will have the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win items (with a collective retail value of over £3000) from a range of outdoor learning and play resources, from online training to den building equipment.
We hope the findings from this extensive research will inform policy and best practice going forward. We expect to publish our findings in a report in early summer 2025, alongside sharing our insights with our partners, local authorities, policymakers, and Education Scotland throughout the project.
Learn more about the survey and its history further down the page, or follow the links below for our FAQ sheet, a list of suppliers for the prize draw and, of course, the survey itself.
Learn more about our work with school grounds
The 2005 Scottish School Grounds Survey
Learning through Landscapes, formerly Grounds for Learning, have a long working relationship with Professor John McKendrick of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit. John is a Professor for Social Justice, with a particular interest in children’s play, at Glasgow Caledonian University.
In 2005, the team’s first Scottish School Grounds Survey received thousands of responses from settings across Scotland. The 2005 survey produced a valuable report which has informed and contextualised attitudes towards school grounds and their use for outdoor learning, play, health, and sport.
The outcome of the 2005 Scottish School Grounds Survey helped inform and shape the conversation about the use of outdoor spaces across Scotland, as the Curriculum for Excellence was introduced in 2010. Since then, there have been huge environmental and educational changes, meaning that 2025’s updated survey is essential.
Find links to the Scottish School Grounds Survey 2005 report below, alongside a summary of the report and accompanying literature review.
Discover the importance of school grounds for children’s mental health
Partners
