top of page

Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL)

We are an OPAL school!

OPAL has won the best active schools’ programme in Europe award and been cited in two Parliamentary Reports as outstanding practice. OPAL is working closely with Sport England to promote more active childhoods.

​

We strongly believe that: "Play is freely chosen, personally directed, intrinsically motivated behaviour that actively engages the child. Play can be fun or serious. Through play children explore social, material and imaginary worlds and their relationship with them, elaborating all the while a flexible range of responses to the challenges they encounter. By playing, children learn and develop as individuals, and as members of the community" (Play Council 2001).

​

We are part way into our overall project and already we have changed the way we think and how we play together. To facilitate the ongoing success of OPAL in our school. We are always on the lookout for items that are no longer needed but have lots of play value.  Loose parts are any materials that can be easily moved, combined, and incorporated into children's free play. The items we are looking for will enable us to enjoy a wider range of play experiences during playtime (see below for some examples):

Suitcases of any size and type
Anything on wheels/castors
Plastic milk crates
Briefcases, especially hard cased ones
Road signs and cones
Kitchen pots, pans, baking trays, worktables, wooden spoons, chopping boards
Tools like spades, trowels and brooms (No forks or sharp tools)
Tubes of various sizes and various materials
Buckets

Keyboards

Fabric (large sheets/brightly coloured fabric)

Foam sheets / body boards

Wooden pallets/planks/blocks/stumps

Metal frames

Cable drums

Guttering

Noodles (the type you use in the swimming       pool!)

Pegs (to help to set up dens)

Nets and ropes

If you have any resources that the children can use please contact the school office and they will make arrangements for items to be dropped off. For ease  of storage, the donation drop off zone will be at the back school gates (by the field) and can be accessed by driving past Broadland Sports and down the little track. 

bottom of page