Play Vital at St David's College

Play may seem straightforward, yet it is vitally important to a child’s development and this is why at St David’s College we have invested more than ever to make break-times as fun and stimulating as possible. The British Children's Play Survey quoted here in a recent Guardian article found children are reaching the end of their primary school years not having had enough opportunities to develop their ability to assess and manage risk independently.

The report concluded if children have less time playing outdoors in a less adventurous way, this may have an impact on their mental health and overall well-being.

Head of PE & Sport, Mr. Dan Lycett is a passionate advocate for pupils playing outside during break-times.

During lockdown, year 7 to 9 pupils received a little gift from the PE Department - a tennis ball and a pack of chalks.

“Unstructured play is so important for cognitive development and social interaction,” said Mr Lycett.

“Learning to play without any interference from parents and teachers sparks that natural creativity that children have.”

He added: “I wanted to see what the pupils could come up with to do with a tennis ball and piece of chalk, we also sent an email out to parents to ask them to teach them a game they used to play as kids.”

Since returning to school class bubbles have been given buckets filled with tennis balls, frisbees, slacklines, and a whole range of other items to help make the best out of break-times, and with the added aim of helping our pupils becoming young people filled with self-determination.