School School 10

From

Western Australia, Australia

Functions

Government Primary School and Primary School

School 10 is a popular, government, K- 7, co-ed school in a regional Western Australia, visited in late Autumn 2009. The school population of about 440 is 80% comprised of students living outside its formal, geographic zone. Its proximity to places of work for many of the parents is one attraction; another, for some parents, is the low number of Aboriginal student enrolments.

The playground is large, varied and located on one campus. Space use is governed by age and year level. The school seems to have a fairly laissez-faire approach to play and regards morning recess and lunch breaks as times for students to enjoy unstructured play. There are very few explicit rules, with bans on rough play (for instance, the playing of Brandy and Red Rover) being the only explicit 'thou shalt nots'.

There is a strong attitude of tolerance and support for disabled students and integration is encouraged both in and outside the classroom. Most play observed during the period of fieldwork was of an 'active' (as opposed to 'imaginative') nature.