Most children spend at least 2000 hours of their life in a school playground, probably more than in any other outdoor play setting. Despite this, many UK schools do little to create the kind of rich play environments and experiences that we know are important for children.

In other parts of Europe, play is viewed as a crucial aspect of school life – and their playgrounds and play practice are radically different from what we know here in the UK. Our new series of case studies on the school playgrounds of Berlin demonstrate a wide range of inspiring and creative approaches to making play a fundamental aspect of children’s school experiences.