The Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) vision is that ‘every child in every school has an amazing hour of high quality play every day’ and as a school we share this vision and recognise the enormous benefits play has on a child’s life.
It has long been recognised that play is fundamental to children’s health, happiness, development and wellbeing. Research has also shown that children spend 20% of their time in school playing. This led staff to reflect upon how playtimes could be improved outside in the playground during playtimes and lunchtimes, with our OPAL journey beginning in the spring of 2021.
We have developed the ‘OPAL’ approach and worked with our school community to improve our play provision at lunchtimes. Often, some of our spaces in our playground have been underused, however through our OPAL project, our school site is being transformed to offer the highest quality play experiences whatever the weather.
Our outdoor areas are continually being developed and offer an even wider range of play opportunities. The children love playing in all the different areas, such as the Den Making Area, Mud Kitchen, Digging Pit and Sensory Area, creating games with small world toys or zipping around on the scooters. They are having fun and are developing life skills of team work, problem solving, communication and resilience whilst also developing their creativity and imagination.
Our OPAL project is a great success and the children love being outside. Our project goes from strength to strength but there is always more to do, so with the support from our OPAL team and fantastic families, the world of play will continue to be transformed to capture and inspire our children’s imagination.
This project is financially supported by ORCINA.
Furness Education Trust is a Company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales under Company Number 06895426 Registered in England and Wales.
Registered Office- Furness Academy, Park Drive, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, LA13 9BB
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