Today the interim report from the Play Commission has been published and its findings are disheartening. Time spent playing outdoors has declined by 50% in a generation. At a time when schools are under increasing pressure to meet standards it is easy for breaktimes to be squeezed out by other curriculum priorities. Yet as Paul Lindley, Chair of the Commission writes, "Thriving childhoods are an essential part of building a thriving society. The way children explore, experiment and build an understanding of the world really matters for their own development, but also to society."

We all know instinctively that time spent outside is crucial to young people's mental health,  from the first opportunity to jump in muddy puddles to teenagers socialising in the fresh air rather than in front of screens, we recognise the mental health benefits and the life skills that can be learned. Problem solving, collaborating and thinking innovatively are all part of outdoor play as anyone who has ever watched a Reception class in the playground will know. This is where children learn to negotiate and to compromise, to build imaginary worlds and explore their own environment. It can be easier to make mistakes and build resilience outdoors too and these lessons are transferred to the classroom and to life. It is surely no coincidence that we are seeing a crisis in young people's mental health at the same time as seeing time and spaces for play decline and more focus on digital devices than on fresh air.

Baroness Anne Longfield CBE, Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives and former Children’s Commissioner for England, warns: “Generations of children are now growing up spending less time playing, less time outside, less time with their friends, and more time inside, glued to phones and social media. Play is being squeezed out of their lives, and the consequences for their mental and physical health, and their development, are dire."

And it's unstructured play, play not always led by adults, that is so crucial, allowing children the chance to create their own games and rules and learn to abide by them. They don't need or benefit from adults always stepping in. We can learn so much here from the Early Years approach of play-based learning, setting up activities and standing back, giving children the freedom to direct their own learning. We need to recognise the value of this at all ages, of allowing teenagers the freedom to make their own choices in building shelters or plotting an expedition, to let mistakes be made, choices to be negotiated within a group and lessons learned. And the ability to lead a team, light a fire or take part in a trek is not just an achievement in that moment, it builds confidence and transforms young people's image of themselves.

At Great Ballard we have always been proud of our courage to do things differently. We have always been a phones-free school. We have built wellbeing and outside time into our curriculum not just at the youngest age groups but right through to the GCSE years. It's not always easy persuading teenagers that they want to be outside but we are passionate about the long-term benefits that this approach brings. We don't see this as a valuable loss of teaching time but rather as part of the foundation that allows learning to happen. We do not take for granted our amazing location in the South Downs and the space our students have to roam. We recognise that the freedom to be outside, both to play and to learn should be a crucial part of growing up, connecting to the world around us and building a sense of self. That's why, whatever the weather, you will find us playing sport, building dens, playing music and conducting science experiments in the great outdoors.

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