School children have lost freedom, says research (From Daily Echo)

School children have lost freedom, says research

6:03am Monday 14th January 2013 in News

School children have lost freedom, says research

Hampshire primary school children have lost much of their freedom to get about in their local neighbourhood without adult supervision over the last four decades, according to a report published today.

Only 25% of primary school children are allowed to travel home from school alone compared with 86% in 1971, research by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) at the University of Westminster found.

Figures collected by the Institute in 1971, 1990 and 2010 discovered a large reduction in the youngsters' independent mobility - the extent to which parents allow them to play and travel around in their local area without any adults.

Some of the research was carried out among parents and children at school in Winchester.

The study also found that the children have far less independence to get about alone when compared to German children of the same age. Children from 11 to 15 years old have also been facing greater restrictions on their independence.

Ben Watson, research fellow at the Institute, and one of the authors of the report, said: ''Independent mobility has been shown to be good for children's wellbeing and development, yet our research shows it has dropped significantly in the last four decades. The experience from Germany shows that this drop is not an inevitable result of modern life. If we care about the future health of our children, action should be taken to enable them to regain the right to a safe outdoor environment without the need for adult supervision.''

Mayer Hillman, senior fellow emeritus at the Institute, who has been involved in co-ordinating and analysing the findings for the 40-year period of the research, said: ''It is highly regrettable that so little attention has been paid to the damage caused by this erosion of children's freedoms and decline in their quality of life. Far more effort needs to be invested in reversing the process that has had such an unfortunate outcome.''

Campaigning group Sustrans has recently launched a campaign for 'Free Range Kids' to make it easier for children to travel independently, play outdoors and explore their local community, and have the skills, opportunities and support to do so safely.

Chief executive Malcolm Shepherd said: ''It's a tragedy that so many of our children are failing to meet recommended physical activity levels but little wonder when parents don't feel that their local streets are safe. We urgently need to make our communities safer if we're to get kids active by walking and cycling to school and playing outdoors. Parents want to see safer streets - the Government must change the standard speed limit to 20mph on the streets where we live, work and play.''

Cath Prisk, director of Play England, said: ''This study confirms our own research that there are more barriers to playing out and travelling independently for children today than for previous generations. Interestingly, the research shows that children in other countries, such as Germany, are able to enjoy this basic right far more than their English peers.

''Parents who want to buck this worrying trend should think about giving their kids the gift of independence at home, on the doorstep, in their neighbourhood and further afield.''

•  The surveys of children and their parents were conducted in 10 schools (five primary and five secondary) in five areas of England: Islington, Nottingham, Stevenage, Winchester and rural Oxfordshire. In Germany, Köln Innenstadt, Witten, Köln Chorweiler, Wuppertal-Langerfeld and Bochum were the locations surveyed.
•  The children were asked whether they were allowed to cross main roads alone, uses buses and bicycles without an adult, come home from school alone, travel to other places on their own or with friends, and to go out after dark alone.