Play at the Edge of Scotland

Fiona Kirkland, Play Pedagogy Lead at Play Scotland, shares how the UK’s most northerly school is leading the way through the Play Scotland Play Pedagogy Award

Across Scotland, more schools are asking what it would look like if play was embedded across the whole school, not just in early years, but as part of everyday life, learning and culture. As the national expert for play in Scotland, Play Scotland works to ensure play is valued, protected and prioritised. This commitment sits at the heart of the Play Scotland Play Pedagogy Award, which I developed and now lead, supporting schools to embed play pedagogy through self-evaluation, professional dialogue and evidence of impact. Over 65 schools across 22 local authorities are involved, each with their own context and starting point.

A ‘peerie’ school with big ambitions

One of those schools sits right at the top of the UK. Baltasound Junior High School, on Unst in Shetland, is the most northerly school in the UK and serves a small island community. The school describes itself as a ‘peerie’ school with big ambitions for its children and young people, and their journey shows that play pedagogy can be meaningful in any setting.

At Baltasound, play is not treated as something extra to squeeze in when the ‘real work’ is finished, it is part of how children learn, connect, explore and make sense of the world. From Early Years through to Secondary, learners have time and space to follow their ideas through flexible learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors, where creativity and relationships flourish.

Children at the heart of the journey

The children explain it better than we ever could. Anya in P4 said, “If we had nothing to play with, school would be really boring. I would hate school. We wouldn’t even be able to learn.” Nula in P5 put it simply too, “Play helps us learn. We are lucky to be able to play.”

Through the Award process, Baltasound has used observation, pupil voice, self-evaluation and data to shape next steps. Staff have thought carefully about the adult role, knowing when to step in, step back, or join children in the moment, while the school’s environments have been shaped with children too, giving them real ownership of the spaces where they learn and play.

On 11 June, UN International Day of Play, I’ll visit Baltasound to present their Award, making them the first school to achieve Play Scotland Play Pedagogy Award status. It feels very fitting that this milestone will be celebrated on a day dedicated to recognising the importance of play in children’s lives.

Baltasound’s journey reminds us that meaningful change happens when children’s voices are taken seriously, staff are supported to reflect and grow, and play is understood as a right, a pedagogy and a vital part of learning. As Anya and Harper in P4 remind us: “Never say we just play, because play is our learning.”