Outdoor Play and Learning
Here at Buckingham Park Primary School, we are committed to ensuring quality play opportunities are available to all our children. We have recently embarked on an exciting journey with the OPAL programme.
Children spend 20% of their time in school playing and we believe that play is essential for physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of each child. There are many benefits to the OPAL programme including:
- Improving playtimes for all children meaning happier children and children who come into the classroom ready to learn
- Improving our play spaces across the school making the most of our wonderful spaces and ensuring a fully inclusive play offer
- Develops our school values encouraging children to be creative, resilient independent and collaborative whilst respecting those around them
- Improving behaviour at playtimes
- It's fun!
OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) is all about using naturally and man made resources to allow children to be inspired and creative at playtime.
We anticipate this being a 18-24 month journey, please visit this page for any updates on our journey.
Here is a link to a school that have fully embedded the OPAL approach to their playtimes- we think it looks great.
OPAL Working Party
As we embark on our OPAL project , we have developed a working party with representatives from all stakeholders.
- Kim Brown - Head teacher
- Karyn Astle - Deputy Head
- Sally Stonehouse - Curriculum Leader
- Vicki Ockenden - Parent, PTA, Y3 cover teacher
- Julie Wheatland - PTA
- Nicky Doyle - Governor