OPAL
At Viewley Hill Academy, we are committed to ensuring quality play opportunities are available to all children. Research has shown that children spend 20% of their time in school playing. We believe that play is essential for physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of each child. Most of our best childhood memories are from playing outdoors, climbing trees and exploring the wide world around us. OPAL gives us the opportunity to give those memories to your children. OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) is all about using naturally and man-made resources to allow children to be inspired and creative at playtime.
What does this mean for us:
- Happier children
- Children coming into class ready to learn
- A fully inclusive playtime offer
- It allows children an opportunity to be creative and make decisions
- Children develop independence and resilience skills
- Increased social skills
- …. and most importantly fun!
We are developing the OPAL approach and are gradually changing our grounds to offer places for sport, dressing up, dancing, climbing, building sandcastles, imaginative play, digging, creating dens and eventually zipping around the yard on scooters.
The children are enjoying the change and love to be outside with their peers, family and friends from opposite ends of the school.
