Current schools: OPAL platinum school visit, Ivydale Primary, London
Date and time
Play makes up 20% of children's primary school life. See how an inner city school makes playtime a key part of their day.
About this event
Play makes up 20% of children's primary school life. How do schools plan for this 20%? What are the roles of the Play Team?
How do we develop our best teams? How can playtime support us to foster our school's values in all our children - resilience, courage, tenacity, kindness?
How do children get their play things out and put them away? What are the solutions to foxes and sandpits?
See for yourself what an amazing playtime looks like at Kender Primary School, an OPAL Outdoor Play and Learning Platinum Award winning school. Please ensure you attend the correct timings, depending on whether you are a Current OPAL school or a New Interest School that is yet to start their OPAL journey.
11:15 - 12:00: OPAL networking meeting (existing OPAL schools)
12:00 - 13:00: Observation of playtime (all)
13:00- 13:45pm: OPAL new interest meeting (schools thinking about OPAL)
Join Cath Prisk and Kate Smith, OPAL Mentors and experts in improving children's playtimes, and hear from Helen Easton, Assistant Head Head and Curricula Lead for Play at Ivydale Primary on how play has been transformed and find out the impact on the school. They will be sharing their experiences of how the OPAL Primary Programme has transformed playtimes and the impact on the school and the children that this has had.
In the morning (c. 11:15-12) current OPAL schools will meet to discuss practicalities of developing the OPAL Programme, to ask questions and connect with others on the same journey.
Around 12 we are joined by schools thinking about joining the OPAL Primary Programme and we will all observe how the school's play team ensures all the children have access to all play types in this medium sized, urban playground.
In the afternoon (c. 1-1:45) there is an introduction to the programme with time for questions, open to anyone considering how to make their playtimes amazing. It can also apply to wrap-around provision and holiday activities too.
We will be outdoors the whole time - please come dressed whatever the weather. OPAL schools play outdoors in all weathers.
Please bring your own refreshments/lunch. There are plenty of local options nearby for food to pick up or after the visit. Local parking is available, on street and mostly free. Public transport is good nearby.
We keep numbers small so please do sign up soon. Also if you can no longer come do let us know so we can release your place to another school.
