At Oaklands we value the importance of children’s play. We know that play contributes to children’s physical and emotional health, well-being and enjoyment of school. We strongly believe that happy and healthy children learn best. We are undertaking work alongside OPAL (outdoor play and learning) to provide our children with fantastic opportunities at play times.

Children in all year groups are allowed access to all of our grounds all the year. In bad weather, children (and staff!) change into wellie boots and can still play on the field and in wooded areas of the school. Regular play assemblies ensure that children understand how to enjoy the site safety and understand the expectations around different equipment.

Our staff team have regular training to support them in continually developing the opportunities at playtime.  The training explores the different types of play and how adults can facilitate play effectively. Some of the equipment we have out daily includes:

Lego
Dressing up
Mud kitchen
Arts and crafts
Music
Small world toys e.g. cars, dolls, dinosaurs
Bug hunting equipment
Den building equipment

We have regular themed weeks when new activities are provided and children can choose to take part. So far this academic year, we have opened the ‘Oaklands outdoor office’ and there are plans in place for potion making at Halloween. We try to link activities to different events in the calendar year e.g. Diwali and Chinese New Year.

We also provide opportunities for children to take part in a variety of sports activities at lunchtime, which are run by our sports apprentice. These include football, hockey, basketball, tennis and many more.

Pupil voice is at the heart of what we do. We regularly speak to children about their experiences at playtime and ask them what activities or equipment they would like to see next.

Click on the this link to see photos of OPAL in action!