Children spend 20% of their time at school playing. With this in mind we have engaged with the OPAL Primary Programme (Outside Play and Learning) to support us in promoting freedom for children to explore play in their own imaginative ways, using found and gathered resources in the natural outdoor environment.
The principles of play and risk taking are outlined in our Play-policy-2017-2018. We feel it is very important that children take and manage their own risks, but that they are taught very clearly how to do this.
We are lucky to have such a great school site for our children, but this is significantly underused, particularly in the winter /spring months when the field and woodland become inaccessible due to them being wet.
Following a term of planning we introduced the first phase of OPAL to our children in September 2017.
The implementation of OPAL play has been a great success – more children are loving being outside, no matter what the weather, as there is now so much more to do.
OPal during school closure! Great fun indoors and out!
Whether it is playing with tyres and planks, digging in the sand pit, enjoying imaginative play or being creative in the mud kitchen, OPAL is offering a creative and exciting alternative to the regular activities on the yard.
Through this kind of play not only are children more active, but they are also having the opportunity to further develop life skills such as cooperation, team work and problem solving. They are becoming motivated and enthusiastic builders, engineers, explorers and designers.
Thank you for your support with:-
- Sending your child into school with appropriate warm/waterproof clothing and wellies
- Donating items for sand play, unwanted coats and wellies, unwanted play kitchens, dressing up clothes and monetary donations for the mud kitchens
- Supporting the OPAL ethos by asking your child about their play and accepting that they may get dirty
You can still help us more by donating any unwanted materials you have at home:-
- Cable rolls
- Plastic or metal buckets
- Kitchen utensils, pots, pans, baking trays, sieves, colanders etc for the mud kitchen
- Watering cans, wheel barrows, guttering
- Large pieces for fabric
- Toy trucks, diggers, cars
- Dressing up clothes
- Small world creatures e.g. dinosaurs, farm animals etc.
Thank you for your continued support.