Better Breaktimes, Better Transitions
“Better Breaktimes, Better Transitions: Supporting transitions through play” aims to improve breaktime experiences and understand how play can support a positive transition from primary to secondary education.
Commissioned and funded by the Scottish Government’s Get into Summer funding, this project was delivered in partnership with Play Scotland and Falkirk Council.
About the Project
During the 2021 autumn term, six secondary schools across the Falkirk Council region received in-school consultations and workshops from experts within Learning through Landscapes and partner organisations to support them to improve their outdoor play experiences.
Through providing better outdoor and play provision, the project took a collaborative approach and asked pupils to explore:
- What play means for them;
- What they need in order to enjoy better breaktimes; and
- How play can support their transition from primary to secondary education.
Educators were empowered to make high-quality outdoor play a vital part of children’s engagement with school and their wider wellbeing.
“Pupils have been involved in discussion, their voices heard, opinions asked and respected.”
– Teacher at a participating school
“After some really interesting training, staff reported feeling motivated to make changes, to revisit school paperwork and policies relating to play, and to support a more ‘self-directed’, ‘intrinsically motivated’, ‘freely chosen’ break time.”
– Teacher at a participating school
Project Reports
As part of the ‘Better Breaktimes, Better Transitions’, we produced two project reports. One is a summary evaluation report of the project, the other a ‘voices’ report which shares the views and insights of young people and teachers around play early in secondary schools.
11-18 Secondary School Play
This desk-based literature and case-study research project which summarised play opportunities for adolescents in secondary schools was completed in 2014.
Adolescent Play Research
Further relevant research around play in secondary schools.
