Outdoor Play And Learning
Fairlawn is running a programme to create more opportunities for physical activity, socialisation, co-operation, coordination, resilience, creativity, imagination and enjoyment through improved play.
The school is being supported by OPAL for 18 months. OPAL (outdoor play and learning) is based on the idea that as well as learning through good teaching, Our children also learn when they play, and as 20% of their time in school is playtime, we want to make sure that this amount of time (equivalent to 1.4 years of primary school) is as good as possible.
There are certain things children must have in order to be able to play. These include; having clothes that they can play in, having things to play with and having a certain amount of freedom. As the school improves play opportunities for your children, you may find us asking you for resources (see below) and that we are making changes about how the children use the school grounds. We hope to use more of the grounds, for more of the year. Your children may get a bit messier, be exposed to more challenges and have greater freedoms to play where, with whom and how they like. The experiences we hope to foster are essential for children’s physical and mental well-being and health and in line with all current good practice advice on health and safety, well-being and development.
If you would like to learn more about the OPAL Primary Programme please have a look at the OPAL website.