Well what an exciting two weeks we have had in school with OPAL (Outdoor play and learning). Playtimes have never looked so exciting. We have had spinners, a construction area, den building, window washing, cardboard box towers, dressing up boxes, creative arts area and a giant tug of war. The children have never had so much fun at playtimes. We have extended our play to 30 minutes instead of the 15 we had previously and we are very much seeing play as an opportunity to learn creatively, developing imagination, to develop social skills such as sharing and taking turns, to be able to manage risk and to develop communication and friendships.

Our next steps are to develop areas much more, to provide greater play opportunities and to do this across the whole school, including FE and EYFS. We are also looking at our dinnertimes and are hoping to offer a similar experience at those times. We are reflecting on how we will be able to facilitate this in the next academic year.

In the meantime, we will continue to keep you updated on OPAL developments and if you have any old toys, sheets, bric-a brac etc. that you do not want then please send them into school as they may be put to good use in our play.

Head over to the Gallery to view the photos. 

Paul McLean