On Monday I led an assembly around our OPAL project. We reflected on our journey during the last two years. The children were able to talk about the different aspects of play provision that we have in our school and how the school environment supports this.  

 

OPAL suggests that to best support play you need different environments and materials for the children to explore and be creative. We talked about Place, Journey and Change and Control -Natural. 

 

Place – the children said, 

 

‘We have the decking with a roof, the stage that’s great for performing and also for making dens.’ 

‘We have willow in the Willow garden and trees and bushes for hiding, making dens and playing games.’ 

 

Journey – the children said, 

 

‘We can crawl, climb and swing on the adventure park’ 

‘We can run, crawl, roll in the willow garden.’  

‘We can balance on the trail trim and crawl under the willow’ 

 

Change and Control - Natural – the children said, 

 

‘We can move stones in the peace garden to find insects and bugs.’  

‘We use them to create homes for fairies.’ 

‘We like to dig in the Peace garden making potions with parts of plants and sticks that we find on the floor.’ 

 

These are just a few aspects of different play opportunities. I will share more over the coming weeks, but to celebrate the impact that OPAL is having for our children Alfie said, 

‘Playtimes are fantastic because we get fresh air, we have lots of fun and there’s lots to play with.’ 

 

Also on the website this week: 

 

Click here to see pictures of the Rainbow room. One child said, ‘I love the Rainbow room. I get to play with my friends. The best thing is making slime it makes me feel calm and happy.’ 

Click here for Reception children making clay fossils 

Click here for Year 1 sensory play 

 

And here for job vacancies at our schools. 

 

Don’t forget to subscribe to our online school calendar. Our calendar is the place where you can check for events, term dates and INSET days. 

 

For a window into our school please follow us on social media. We regularly update our Twitter page and Facebook page.   

I hope you have a peaceful weekend and I look forward to all that week 5 has to offer next week!  

 

 

Best Wishes

Sophie