Supergrounds

The research reveals that:

• Almost half of children spend more than three hours a day watching television or playing computer games
• More than 1 in 10 spend at least five hours or more a day watching television or playing computers
• More than one-third of children never play outside
• Nearly two-thirds of parents are worried about letting their children play outside
• Three-quarters of parents feel that children face increased risks from playing outside unsupervised compared with five years ago
• 97% of children have been warned about the dangers of playing outside

Professor Frank Furedi, a well known sociologist and author of the book Parental Paranoia commented: “This research gives a compelling insight into how young children are spending their leisure time and confirms that an atmosphere of mistrust surrounds their experience of the outdoors. Fuelled by adult anxieties, children’s outdoor play experiences are gradually displaced by a bedroom culture of electronic distractions.”

The long term effects of children spending less time playing outside have negative consequences for their development and a sedentary lifestyle is inevitably bad for their social life and health. Outdoor activities encourage interaction between children and the development of social skills. The school ground constitutes an important site where children learn how to engage with one another and learn how to manage some of the risks associated with physical activity.”

Supergrounds has been developed by The Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest in partnership with Learning Through Landscapes and Groundwork. Over the next three years Supergrounds will transform 450 school playgrounds into fun and stimulating places where children can learn and play in safety.

Benny Higgins, Chief Executive, Retail Banking said: “We have invested in this programme because we believe that when schools grounds are developed and used creatively, they can positively affect children’s attitude to play and outdoor learning. Given that children spend up to a quarter of their school day in the playground it is important that they have access to fun and imaginative school grounds.”

Ken Davies, Chief Executive of Learning through Landscapes, said: “School grounds are one of the few safe havens where children play and learn together on a regular basis. While school buildings and classrooms have changed dramatically over the last five years, many schools still have uninspiring and impoverished playgrounds. The Supergrounds programme represents the biggest single private sector investment in school grounds improvement to date and will bring real tangible benefits to hundreds of thousands of school children.

Studies show that improved school grounds lead to enhanced attitudes amongst pupils to learning, a dramatic increase in the numbers of children enjoying their time at school, a reduction in bullying, anti-social behaviour and accidents and long term improvements in children’s health and well being.

Tony Hawkhead, Chief Executive of Groundwork, said: “School playgrounds are vitally important for children. Indeed for many children who do not have access to a garden or live near a park, school grounds may be their only experience of their local environment. Supergrounds will help schools make the most of their playgrounds, creating the stimulating environment for learning and fun that all schools need.”

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Linda Harper at The Royal Bank of Scotland on 0131 525 0382. or Click here

The Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest are part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Last year, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group spent £40million on its community investment programme which is one of the largest in Europe.

Supergrounds is the largest ever private sector investment in school grounds. Over the next three years more than 450 school grounds, nominated by Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest employees, will be transformed through Supergrounds funding. More information can be found by logging onto http://www.supergrounds.com/

Learning through Landscapes is a national school ground charity which was established in 1990 to work with schools to achieve maximum benefit from school grounds. During 2003 Learning through Landscapes conducted research amongst 350 schools across the country which had taken steps to improve their school grounds during the previous four years. Of the schools surveyed 65% believed that school grounds improvements had increased overall attitudes to learning and 52% said they had seen an improvement in academic achievement. The schools also said they had experienced considerable improvements in behaviour (73%) as well as a significant reduction in bullying (64%) and improved social interaction (84%). The research also highlighted increases in children enjoying and having fun in their grounds (90%) and improvements in active play and games (85%).