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OPAL

At Tanners Brook, we are at the beginning of our journey with OPAL Outdoor Play and learning. We aim to change the culture around play at our school and want play times to be as important as any other curriculum area.

This programme helps schools plan and invest in play in the same way they plan for literacy, maths or safeguarding.

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.” (Children’s Play Council 2001).

 OPAL launch

At the start of the year, we successfully launched our low-risk areas, including a mud kitchen, construction and Lego, chalk and bubbles, dressing up, and small world play. We also opened up additional areas of the forest for children to explore. Despite the weather, the launch has been extremely successful, and the children are enjoying high-quality play experiences. This is just the beginning, with exciting new additions coming soon.

"I really like the mud kitchen and making wedding foods. I also love the costumes."

"It’s the best thing ever. Building dens is amazing and the year 3s are helping."
"The dress-up is cool because everyone looks crazy and fun."

Sandpit

We have already had a sandpit area created  and hopefully that will be finished very soon.

Please can we have donations of any buckets & spades or any suitable sand toys you may no longer need.

Coming soon!

In addition to the sandpit, we will also be creating the following areas in 2026.

  • Dig pit
  • Bikes/scooters
  • More ball games
  • Large den building
  • Water play

Donations

To continue to facilitate this project, we will need to buy some new resources, and require further donations of loose parts. 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):

There are currently two green donation bins for any loose parts to be placed in, on the playground.

Please contact the school before donating any large items via info@tannersbrookpri.org.uk

  • Suitcases of any size and type
  • Anything on wheels/castors
  • Plastic milk crates/supermarket delivery crates/plastic bread trays
  • Briefcases, especially hard-cased ones
  • Road signs and cones
  • Kitchen pots, pans, baking trays, work tables, wooden spoons, chopping boards
  • Tools like small spades/shovels, trowels and brooms
  • Tubes of various sizes and various materials
  • Buckets
  • Nets and thick ropes
  • Keyboards/torches/laptops/calculators/mobile phones/desk phones/webcams/cameras that are no longer working.
  • Fabric (large sheets/brightly coloured fabric)
  • Foam sheets/bodyboards/camping roll mats/yoga mats
  • Wooden pallets
  • Metal frames
  • Cable drums
  • Guttering
  • Noodles (the type you use in the swimming pool!)
  • Hats/scarves/jazzy shirts/elasticated skirts/waistcoats/wedding dresses/character costumes
  • Pegs (to help to set up dens)

 

 

OPAL Play Policy

Please find our OPAL Play policy at the bottom of this page. Alternatively, visit the Policy section of our website. 

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