The Conversation – Sinead Brophy, Charlotte Todd, Emily Marchant, and Machaela James 
Afternoon breaks were once a common feature of nearly all primary school timetables. But, as schools have sought to dedicate more time to teaching and learning, and limit poor behaviour, these short play times have been cut down and, in many cases, eliminated altogether. But research has shown that play is important for a child’s development – and now a new analysis from our ongoing research project has found that removing afternoon break time could be detrimental to pupils’ physical well-being. (more)