At the first sound of the break-time bell, the pupils of Merrylee Primary School grab their coats and launch themselves out into the wild bluster of a Scottish spring day, their shouts and laughter carried by the wind as they scatter to the four corners of the playground.
In schools across the land, the playtime bell signals fresh air and freedom but often the options for play, exploration and physical activity are restricted by an austere and uninspiring playground environment. Many offer little more than a rectangle of grey concrete, with its unforgiving hard surface and jagged, knee-scuffing edges. But give children something more stimulating - a playground filled with tall grass, wild flowers and native woodland, for example - and the potential for creative play and personal development is enormous.
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