We must not let Educational policies take away our recess/breaktimes!

A recent trend in schools has been to reduce or eliminate recess/break times with the assumption beings that that less recess time provides more opportunities for learning and hence, better learning outcomes (Walker, 2009). Many school administrators are operating under these assumptions and strongly agree the time spent on recess/break times can be more efficiently spent in the classroom on academic instruction (Clements, 2000). However, with many school administrators suggesting there is no need for recess/break times and with the final say as to whether recess/break times are implemented within their school falling upon the principle of the school (Baines & Blatchford, 2011) it is a fear that recess/break times are deemed as necessary. According to Baines & Blatchford (2011), students’ break times are some of the most valued times and experiences they have in school and have an important role in social as well as physical and emotional development (Reilly, Buskist, & Gross 2012). Break times or recess are defined by Jarrett, Maxwell, and Dickerson (1998) as “break-in whatever one is doing, ‘a period away from the task at hand: an interlude, a change of pace and is a time of unstructured free play that is socially beneficial and where one does not have to function on a cognitively demanding level (Jambor, 1998). It has been further suggested by Baines and Blatchford (2019) that breaks tines have different physical and organizational constraints, social rules, and roles, and afford unique opportunities for socializing with peers, this makes breaktimes one of the main 'open' settings with greater degrees of freedom and more opportunities to interact with peers. However, Baines and Blatchford (2019) mentioned that there is little agreement about the value and function of break times amongst school staff and policymakers and that they are often taken for granted. More worrying is that Baines and Blatchford (2019) highlight that there is no statutory requirement for schools to provide children with a break in the school day and they hardly figure in United Kingdom government policy or Ofsted inspection processes. Pellegrini (2005) suggested that recess/break time can contribute 30%-40% of the recommended amount of daily physical activity a school student should get. However, since 1995 break times in the United Kingdom have been reduced by an average of 45 minutes per week for ages 5-11 and 65 minutes per week for students ages 12 to 16 (Baines and Blatchford, 2019). From the same study carried out by Baines and Blatchford (2019), these researchers mentioned that a major finding was that 60% of primary and secondary schools said that students might miss a full break or lunchtime with many schools indicated that this was part of a school policy. However, according to Skrupskelis (2000), Recess/break times are the right of every child with Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on Children’s Rights, which states that every child has the right to leisure time. Taking away recess, whether as a disciplinary measure (a common practice) or abolishing it in the name of work, infringes on that right. From the study by Baines and Blatchford (2019), it is stated that most primary schools have morning breaks of 15 minutes with a few taking 20 minutes. Lunch breaks are between 45-60 minutes are the most commonly seen in ages 5-11. By contrast, more schools reported shorter breaks of up to 45 minutes with ages. Only 15% of primary schools reported having an afternoon break at ages 5-11, usually of about 15 minutes. A majority of secondary school-aged students 12-16 have morning breaks of 20 mins, with a few having 15 minutes. About half of all secondary schools have lunch breaks of less than 45 mins, with about a quarter having 35 minutes or less. Afternoon breaks are virtually non-existent at the secondary level. A study by Klepeis, et al (2001) found that people spend 90% of their time in indoor settings. The United Kingdom National Trust found that children play outside for a little over four hours weekly, compared to the 8.2 hours weekly their parents spent outside as children (National, Trust, 2012). Another study in the United Kingdom reviewed national time-use surveys from 1975, 2000, and 2015. The results showed that, over the years, there was a decrease in outdoor time and an increase in a child’s time indoors at home (Mullan, 2018). In the United States of America The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS), reported data from 2000-2014 showed that regularly scheduled recess decreased from 42.3 percent in 2000 to 26.2 percent in 2014 in classrooms that had regularly scheduled recess (Shape of the nation, 2016). Several studies have been conducted showing the impact recess/breaks have upon the academic students aged 5-16. According to Pellegrini & Davis (1993); Pellegrini & Huberty (1995); Jarrett, Maxwell, & Dickerson (1998), students focused better on tasks given after recess and had better attention skills they also found that on recess days, children were more on-task and less fidgety. Research by Pellegrini and Davis (1993) manipulated the time in which children spent outdoors during a school day and showed that children were less attentive inside the classroom on days where they did not receive outdoor time. Pellegrini and Huberty (1995) conducted research to determine the effects of recess timing on children’s classroom behavior and suggested students aged 5-16 had better classroom behavior when given a longer recess. Finally, twelve research studies were conducted between 2012-2017 were reviewed to examine if there was a correlation between, green and open spaces found in outside recess/break times and the impact it had upon young students’ overall health (McCormick, 2017). The results from the metal analysis were green and open spaces contributed positively to the student’s memory, attention, self-discipline, and stress moderation (McCormick, 2017). The results of these studies support the relationship between enhanced cognitive performance and time for recess/break time during the school day and that recess/break times are a critical necessity that requires to be aside specifically in gaining cognitive, social, and physical development and one that s that cannot be obtained in a structured sit-down, classroom setting (Waite, Rogers & Evans, 2013).