In November 2007 Beverley Hughes, Minister for Children and Young People, announced £642m of capital investment in early years settings in England. The funding is currently being distributed by local authorities, and will continue to be rolled out until 2011. It is intended to play a key part in enabling local authorities to meet their duties to improve outcomes for children and to narrow the gaps between the most disadvantaged children and others.
The Government's intention is that this funding should be directed particularly towards the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector and that it should be used to improve the quality of the learning environment and support the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage, with an emphasis on improving play and physical activities, inclusion and ICT resources.
Outdoor play is one of the key areas highlighted as eligible expenditure. Many local authorities are using the opportunity to assess all settings to ensure they can meet the EYFS requirements for daily outdoor provision for all children. There are still many settings that do not have dedicated outdoor space, but the funding will allow others to extend or improve their areas, convert unusable pieces of land or develop shared use of community space.
Each local authority has to develop its own criteria and means of distributing the grant. This has proved challenging for many, due to financial and legal requirements and the need for public accountability - especially when it comes to passing funding on to private and for-profit organisations.
In spite of these challenges, local authorities are mostly keen to support settings and pass on the funding to make much-needed improvements to their provision without getting bogged down in paperwork and procedure. Some authorities are planning innovative ways to support the way the capital funding is used, by linking it to their aspirations for quality improvement overall.
ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT
Surrey County Council early years team, for example, wants to ensure that the focus of the outdoor development work supports their priorities, including active engagement of boys in learning, developing language and skills to support literacy, and better outcomes for children's physical health and emotional well-being.
Ealing Council in London plans to work with early years providers individually to identify ways to improve access and make their outside environments more exciting. They are keen that settings should not try to convert their outside areas into replicas of the indoor learning environment with hard landscaping and materials such as plastic and metal. Instead, the aim is to create flexible spaces that can change with children's interests.
Charles Barnard, head of Ealing Early Years, Childcare and Play, explains, 'Overcrowding and limited access to outdoor environments is a key issue for many young children in our borough. Children seem to come alive when playing and learning in the open air and denying them this opportunity could severely limit their potential. There is also evidence that some of the attainment gaps that can open up in the early years are best tackled through inspiring outside provision.'
Catherine Alderton, early years advisory teacher, is leading the challenge to improve standards through outdoor learning in Harrow. She believes the capital funding for outdoors will make a big difference in helping the local authority achieve its early years outcome targets to improve Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Communication, Language and Literacy, having considered the evidence that high-quality learning experiences support both these outcomes.
Ms Alderton says, 'By learning on a big scale outside, through the rich experiences that can be afforded outdoors, children will gain stimulus and motivation to develop their language and communication. This enhanced provision will also benefit children when they come back indoors.'
Fifty out of the 80 PVI settings in Harrow have so far taken up the opportunity to apply for funding for development of their outdoor areas. Harrow Council has been working with Learning Through Landscapes to support a strategic approach to self-evaluation and change that will have a lasting impact.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Many local authorities recognise the importance of professional development of staff to enable them to overcome barriers and really make the most of outdoor learning. For example, Liverpool City Council's early years team is planning to motivate practitioners through conferences with inspiring speakers and practical sessions on working with the Early Years Foundation Stage outdoors. Supported by the local authority, Early Years Professionals in Barnet, London, are using their networks to have a Year of Outdoor Learning with a programme of visits, training and projects to transform outdoor settings.
Investment in capital developments to better the design of outdoor areas, together with professional development to support ongoing improvements in the management and use of the outdoors, make a powerful combination. Children in settings and in local authorities taking this approach are likely to benefit accordingly from rich and meaningful experiences.
Annie Davy is currently seconded to Learning Through Landscapes from her position as head of early years for Oxfordshire Council
RESOURCES
Learning Through Landscapes is publishing in April 2009 a complete guide and downloadable resources for developing an outdoor space for early years. PlayOut will be available from the LTL website, and will cost £60. Those placing pre-orders by 31 March will save £20. Call 01962 845811 for details or e-mail info@ltl.org.uk
CASE STUDY: ALL SAINTS PRE-SCHOOL, HARROW WEALD
Ann Nash, leader of All Saints Pre-school in Harrow Weald, was delighted to be offered the opportunity to apply for funding to develop their outdoor area. All Saints is fortunate to have a good-sized outdoor area that borders a nature reserve, which gives additional opportunities to extend children's outdoor learning in a more natural environment.
Although standards of learning and care are very high at this setting (as recognised by a recent Outstanding grade in its Ofsted inspection), funding has been limited and the children and staff have been unable to make the best use of their outdoor provision.
Challenges include:
- a large proportion of the area is grassed and unusable when wet and muddy
- hard areas that are slippery and unusable when wet
- overgrown flowerbeds
- fence and gates that need replacing
- lack of active all-weather play
- lack of comfortable seating areas.
Funding from the local authority enabled All Saints to work with Learning Through Landscapes to go through a process of planning for change that has been successfully used and developed by LTL over the years, working with thousands of schools and settings. The process involves four stages:
1. Self-evaluation using an audit tool to determine 'Where are we now?'
2. An on-site consultation with participation by children, staff, parents and others to develop the vision, 'Where do we want to be?'
3. Writing a development plan to determine 'How can we get there?'
4. And finally - making the changes!
Ann Nash, her staff and children have big plans to transform some of the grassed area into hard surfacing for all-weather play and to develop resources for active play and seating. They have obtaianed vouchers to develop a growing area through the Morrison's 'Let's Grow' scheme. All this will be supported by a good stock of outdoor waterproof clothing, and by professional development for the staff.
