Quick. Climb through here. Down the pole – there's a fire,’ shouts four-year-old Tom, as he sets the scene for an adventure on the climbing frame. As a fleet of firefighters come to the rescue, peddling as fast as they can on their tricycles, another group of children carry watering cans to the scene to put out the fire.
This form of open-ended play, which is rich in language, physical activity and social interaction, is typical of the daily scenarios that unfold at North Wingfield Primary & Nursery Academy in north Derbyshire.
‘Physicality underpins all areas of learning,’ explains Diane Parmley, assistant head of EYFS and KS1. ‘If children have the space and freedom to move on a large scale – climbing up steps, crawling through tunnels, sliding down poles, riding bikes, transporting heavy objects – it supports other areas of learning, such as language and communication and co-operative play.
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