UK
August 27, 2025
UK
We believe that adventure play in schools has an important role to play in the future development of education and young children.
The world around us has changed dramatically in the last twenty years. Schools continue to adapt to this and find innovative ways of modernising to meet the needs of the children and the demands of government overseers. Statistics are very clear that children spend too long looking at their devices and that they must become more active, creative and playful.
Schools have great spaces outside and are just beginning to explore what can be done to bring these often unloved spaces to life. If you have ever looked at the outside space at a Primary School you will know that there is huge potential here for our children and the impact of this is life changing! Here are the main reasons why all schools should develop their outside space to encourage play.
We all learn better when we are inspired, motivated and active. Children naturally enjoy play and being creative but they need the right environment to maximise this. The science is very simple, the more children exercise and play, the more endorphins they produce, the better they feel and the more receptive they are to learn in the classroom. Exercise releases Dopamine, a neural transmitter which contributes to positive mood and feelings of well-being. When children feel good they find it easier to learn at school.
We all remember how important play was when we were younger and how much we enjoyed that time together outside with our friends. Children learn so much in play and this can easily be forgotten in a school with the focus on testing and curriculum based teaching. Creative play spaces allow children to socialise with each other and create fun games where they learn crucial skills and develop how they engage and communicate with other children. In this modern world where many children can be sitting still and isolated staring into their devices, bespoke adventure play spaces inspire them to take more risk, become more active and interact with their peers. They learn crucial skills they cannot possibly learn in the classroom. There is no 'test' for this and it's probably lost its importance on most curricula, but the results are obvious when children have a safe, creative imaginative world to play in. They grow and they develop as healthy rounded young people.
Scientifically, we all learn best when active. It will not surprise anyone that being static in the classroom, unable to move around and exercise creativity will stifle our thinking and development. Having an inspirational play space changes the entire culture at a school and we have seen this happen at schools where we have built our very special play environments. Once the adults see the impact of play and active learning, this changes everything. Teachers can be more adventurous with the way they teach children and will begin to see the power of active learning. The best teaching is active, creative, and allows the learners to move while they learn. This applies to us adults as well.
OFSTED has been changing over recent years in the way they define success and we think that this will continue. There is a mental health crisis around us and so success in school has not just become academic success as it once was. Two of the main areas for OFSTED to inspect are ‘Behaviours and Attitudes’ and ‘Personal Development and Wellbeing’. It is increasingly recognised that children will only learn if their wellbeing and personal development are taken care of. This is not as easy as it may sound and where better to start then the outside space, which in some schools is vast. Inspirational play areas change the way children feel about school and learning. We have seen a huge impact in these two crucial areas of OFSTED and welcome this change in approach. Success must be measured in how a child develops and feels, not just what score they get in a test.
The last twenty years have seen changes like we have never seen before in society and this has carried through to our schools too. There are more and more children who find mainstream education very challenging to be a part of. Those who work in schools have been looking for ways to adapt to help these children feel a part of education and their school. The impact of play in this area is perhaps the most profound. All children love to play, all children love climbing, exploring and interacting with each other. Schools with our play have seen a vast improvement in the way they can help all children at school. Some children will need to use these spaces more than others. The impact of play in this area of schools we have worked in, is life changing for the whole school and the way we think about learning. We are also working on outside learning spaces to help schools with children who need spaces that are safe, calm and meet their needs - which are likely not to be a busy, noisy classroom.
Along with play, CAP.CO are also creating outside learning classrooms. However, as is always the case with CAP.CO, we are creating learning spaces that inspire both the adults and the children. Children need space and schools were not designed with this in mind, especially for children with extra needs and the need for quiet time away from the classroom. The impact of outside classes is huge and we really think this will help schools meet the needs of all the children in their schools and make a profound difference. Increasingly children need spaces that are quiet, calm and help them to regulate and so this will be a vital change for ALL schools in the future.
What sets us apart from anyone else is that the play we build is bespoke for the school, its values and the space it has available. We can build a TRIM TRAIL that champions the main value of a school, such as Kindness, Respect or Loyalty. Alternatively, we can build play linked to the history of the school or something linked to the core beliefs of the school. This makes the play space even more special as there won’t be anything like it anywhere else, and that makes it so special for the school and the children. The expertise of the design team and those involved with the projects mean that the build will be bespoke, thoughtful and profound. This combination can be magical when brought together properly.
More and more schools are finding creative ways to afford to install Play Areas and outside learning spaces at their school. There is increasing evidence that this is better use of school money and the impact is long lasting and profound for all. At CAP.CO we will be able to talk with you and share ways that you can make this dream happen at your school. Our level of experience in the nitty gritty of fundraising and accessing grants is absolutely unprecedented in this sector.
The world has changed hugely and schools must continue to adapt and adjust to the needs of children to prepare them for a very different world to the one that many of us grew up in. Sadly there are higher levels of depression, anxiety and self harm in our children and so where better to start than schools?
Bespoke, beautifully crafted, and well thought out play spaces and learning spaces will transform schools, encourage children to be active, healthy and happy. This will enable them to access learning in school and feel connected to their school in a way they never realised was possible.
I have worked in Education for twenty-five years working in a range of Primary Schools in Norfolk and Dorset. My style of teaching was always to make learning fun, relevant and inspiring, I have always looked to find innovative ways of making learning ACTIVE and ENGAGING as children learn best this way.
For the last nine years, I have been Head at Poringland Primary School and Nursery. It has been an honour to lead this school and I have been able in this role to really have the impact I have always wanted to have in Education. We created a vision at Poringland of HAPPY, ACTIVE, HEALTHY, INSPIRED, LEARNERS with the key values of KINDNESS, HONESTY and RESPECT. Teachers have been encouraged to find new and exciting ways to teach children using not just the classroom but the outside space. We also looked to make learning relevant by looking at key issues like Global Warming, Pollution, Plastic Recycling and Animal Welfare to name a few key topics of interest.
As a Head I became very interested in the outside space at the school. I believe that happy, active children and adults learn better and school buildings can be quite depressing and limiting. In 2017 I met Simon Egan and the CAP.CO team and this opened up my mind to what can be achieved at a school like mine. In eight years, I have overseen three major builds with CAP.CO with each becoming more adventurous and ambitious.
On the Infant playground we had a wonderful play area built that fed into trim trails and walks in the trees we have, culminating in a zip wire on the field! In 2024 we had a trim trail built spelling KINDNESS in giant letters that children can climb on and through. The impact of this on the children, staff and parents has been profound. Children thrive in their play, are active and imaginative and happy and this then means that they are in the right mindset to learn in their lessons.
I feel very passionately that schools in general need to adapt, adjust and evolve. The rigorous testing process does not work for all children. Many adults thrive after school when they have the flexibility to learn and develop with more freedom than the more rigid school system allows. I have managed to raise money through various means, with supportive adults like the School PTA, the Governors and a community that wanted to be involved and inspired. If it can be done at Poringland then I cannot see why it cannot be done at every school.
