OPAL – Outdoor Play and Learning

North Farnborough Infant School is committed to ensuring quality play opportunities are available for all our children.
Play is essential for the development of each child. We aim to improve opportunities for physical activity, socialisation, cooperation, coordination, resilience, creativity, imagination and enjoyment through improved play. This year, we are delighted to begin an exciting new Play Programme. Following feedback from our parents and most importantly our pupils, we recognised the need to improve our break/lunchtime play experiences.  Most of our best childhood memories are from playing outdoors, climbing trees and exploring the world around us. OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) allows children to be inspired and creative at playtime. 

The Value of Play

Play is defined as any freely chosen activity which a child finds satisfying and creative. It may or may not involve equipment or other people. We believe the learning opportunities of play include: 

• Emotions, e.g. learning about oneself and others, sadness/gladness, rejection/acceptance, frustration/achievement, boredom/fascination, fear/confidence.
• Social interactions – enhancing self-esteem and understanding of others through freely chosen interactions, e.g. within peer groups, with individuals, with groups of different ages, abilities, interests, gender, ethnicity and culture.
• Making choices, problem-solving, being creative,
• Playing with scrap materials, tyres and other multipurpose objects 
• Achieving and also coping with failing,
• Communication and negotiation skills