Practitioners used observation tools developed by academic researchers to assess provision outdoors, as Annie Davy explains.

Today I am visiting Sunnyside Pre-school in Chertsey, Surrey, to practise using the observation tools developed by Professor Ferre Laevers and team from Leuven University. The visit this morning is part of a new practitioner-led action research project exploring how to use these tools to support children's learning and development by making improvements to the outdoor provision. The starting point is observations of the children's experience, their levels of well-being and involvement in the activities and environment on offer.

International research evidence already shows links between access to outdoors (natural environments in particular), mental health and well-being and children's learning. But while the EYFS guidance and other early years documents emphasise the physical benefits of being outdoors and stress children's entitlement to outdoor provision, there is little research that explicitly demonstrates how the quality of the provision outdoors affects outcomes.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Unlimited access to news and opinion

  • Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here