OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning)

At Springhead Park, we recognise that high-quality outdoor play is fundamental to a child's overall development, promoting social skills, resilience and a love for learning. We have been working with an OPAL Mentor to become an OPAL school, which means allowing our children to be inspired and get creative with a range of resources available to them during their playtimes.


How does it work at Springhead?

All children from Reception to Year 6 have the freedom to play where they choose within the school grounds (outside).

A variety of zones, stations, equipment, activities and areas are available to the children and these may vary each day depending on what the children choose to do.

Equipment and Zones include (but are not limited to):

• Tyres and planks of wood for construction
• Small world (e.g. dinosaurs, cars, fantasy world)
• Mud Kitchen
• Digging Area
• Scooters, skateboards, bikes and other means of transport
• SEZ for sports
• Sand pit
• Big chalks and bubbles
• Crates, containers and tarpaulin for den building
• Climbing
• Performing (e.g. music and dressing up)

Each zone is supervised by staff and play leaders, so no child is ever out of sight or sound, they are based at strategic points to ensure support for play leaders and the safety of the children. Children are asked to be responsible for the equipment and tidying it away at the end of the break time and also that they are dressed appropriately.

Our OPAL Play Team (which includes Governors, Senior Leaders, Staff and Parents) regularly reviews the OPAL project to make sure it continues to be effective, safe and exciting for all children.

We have regular Play Assemblies when staff celebrate great play, introduce new activities or equipment, remind the children about any rules or expectations and establish any new ideas from the children.

How can parents help?

You can help us by donating any unwanted materials you have, such as:

• Plastic or metal pots
• Kitchen utensils, pots, pans, baking trays, sieves, colanders, etc, for our mud kitchen
• Watering cans, wheel barrows, guttering
• Large pieces of fabric
• Anything on wheels - bicycles/ tricycles, skateboards, scooters, prams, pushchairs, etc.
• Old wellington boots

Please send all donations to the school office. Thank you in advance!

Watch this space because we have still got more to come!