About this project

This is the first national research project to examine provision for children’s Right to Play under Article 31, in schoolyards and also aims to;

• Raise consciousness on play rights provision in schoolyards
• Develop a novel framework of indicators to support the monitoring and progressive realization of play rights in schoolyards.
• Develop guidance for schools to create optimum conditions for all children to play relevant to the Irish context.
• Contribute to cross-sectoral education, health & social policy aims.

This four-phase project will use diverse methods with school communities to gather data on different aspects of play provision and co-design case study exemplars with schools.

Why is this project important

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child specifically identifies the major role of schools in providing space, time and permission for children’s right to play.

This obligation is informed by significant evidence on the importance of play to children’s health, learning and social lives.

Breaktimes are 12% of each school-day.

Play rights scholarship identifies breaktimes as an optimum opportunity to provide for children’s play rights within schools which extend beyond play for learning activities.

Despite government commitments to children’s rights

1. There is limited data on play provision in Irish primary schoolyards.
2. Research has highlighted significant concerns regarding diverse restrictions on play in schoolyards.