The study looked at the amount and quality of active play offered in 2,088 daycare settings that were visited between 2007 and 2008, including the encouragement and support for daily play; involving children and parents in developing active play; and staff training.
It found that 84 per cent of settings were meeting the minimum requirements for physical activity set out in the National Care Standards.
Examples of good practice noted in some inspection reports included, 'Children had direct access to the outdoor area from the playroom and had regular access to fresh air and physical play. The nursery provided adequate clothing for wet days and encouraged parents to provide suitable footwear.'
Comments from parents included, 'There is a large garden area with plenty of outdoor toys and resources and the children can go for village walks. There is also a physical room where energetic play is encouraged on inclement days.'
Only 328 of the 2,088 settings that were included in the review received recommendations about active play provision in their inspection reports: 231 recommendations were found in reports for private sector provision, 173 for voluntary provision and 63 for local authority provision.
Ronnie Hill, the Care Commission's director of children's services regulation, said, 'We found that some nurseries are not providing enough opportunities for children to take part in active play. Where we made recommendations, more than 40 per cent of these were about the need for nurseries to provide better training for their staff when it comes to encouraging active play.'
Further information
Active Play in Children's Day Care Services Bulletin is available at www.carecommission.com.