'See them thrive' Why children should be allowed to play in mud and get dirty

Michael Follett is a specialist in children's play and passionate about the importance of playing with mud. "It's so tactile. You can use it as paint. You can squish it into a pot. You can make a mud pie or cappuccinos!"

- Sally Weale Education correspondent

As a former play worker and founder and director of Opal (Outdoor Play and Learning), which supports schools to improve play opportunities, Follett is evangelical about the benefits of unstructured outdoor play.

"It is so important for children's mental and physical health to have access to green space and nature every day, and if the price of that is getting a bit muddy then we should embrace it."

Not everyone is so positive about mud, however. A primary school in north Devon with a brand-new mud play area hit the headlines last week after apologising to parents and carers whose children had gone home muddy after heavy rain.

The mud play area at Holsworthy Church of England primary school, with a digging pit and mud cafe, was part of a recent revamp of the school's outdoor play area.

"We felt that our children needed something better at playtime and lunchtime," said the headteacher, Amy Frost. "The playground [before] was pristine but there was nothing for them to do. As schools we have become quite fearful of allowing our children to take risks ... children don't learn what risk is and how to manage risk.”