An exploration of practitioner's perceptions of risky play within a small setting

The aim of this Independent project was to explore practitioner’s perceptions on the subject of risky play. This was a small-scale piece of action research, exploring how two preschool pack away settings support and facilitate risky play and gained an insight into how practitioners perceive and deliver this on a daily basis. The literature review revealed that although risky play is well researched and beneficial to children, legislation currently does not state the importance of such play (DfE, 2017). A qualitative approach was used to gain a greater understanding of practitioner’s perspectives, thoughts and feelings on the subject of risky play. The use of two focus groups facilitated discussion with a view to making improvements within one setting. The data analysis proved interesting with varying answers and opinions, which could be linked back to the literature. The conclusions drawn were not as originally anticipated but proved that it is the practitioners themselves their values and beliefs, that influence the degree of risk in which they allow children to engage