OPAL Playtimes at Foxhill
At Foxhill Primary School, we are incredibly proud of our OPAL play journey. Over the past two years, we have worked hard to transform our playtimes into rich, inclusive and exciting opportunities for every child. As we continue to develop our provision, we are now working towards OPAL accreditation, which reflects our whole-school commitment
to the value of high-quality play.
We believe that play is a vital part of childhood. Through OPAL, our children are encouraged to be creative, active, imaginative and independent. Playtimes at Foxhill provide opportunities for children to collaborate, problem-solve, take safe and appropriate risks, build resilience, interact with nature and develop positive relationships with children across school.
Our outdoor environment has continued to grow and develop, with a wide range of play opportunities available across our grounds. Children can enjoy loose parts play, den building, creative and imaginative play, physical challenge, digging, sand, water, nature play, quiet spaces, role play and opportunities to explore. These experiences support children’s physical, social and emotional development, while also making playtimes joyful, purposeful and fun.
Pupil voice is central to our OPAL approach. Children are actively involved in shaping our play provision, sharing their ideas, discussing new areas and helping us think about how play can be “safe enough” while still allowing challenge, creativity and open-ended exploration. Our OPAL assemblies give children regular opportunities to celebrate play, revisit expectations, reflect on risk and contribute to the future development of our playtimes.
We are also grateful for the support of our families and wider school community. Parent stay-and-play events, donations of loose parts and regular feedback have all helped us continue to improve our OPAL provision. It has been wonderful to see parents and grandparents experience first-hand the enjoyment, independence and confidence that OPAL play brings to our children.
Please keep an eye out for regular OPAL updates in our school newsletter, requests for loose parts and resources on our Facebook page, and dates for future OPAL Stay and Play sessions. We are always grateful for the continued support of our families in helping us make playtimes even better for our children.
At Foxhill, OPAL play reflects our school values of Excellence, Inclusion and Enjoyment.
We are committed to ensuring that every child has access to high-quality, meaningful
play every day.
It was lovely to see so many parents visiting our OPAL play session to see what activities and opportunities the children have on offer for play.
If you attended the session, please complete this form to tell us your thoughts.
A booklet about The Power of Playtime for Parents
who were unable to make it is here.
Pupil Voice and our Opal Assemblies
The children are involved in the planning process as each new area is introduced. Through pupil voice, we can also follow their interests and discuss together how to make each area safe enough, whilst also encouraging open ended play and hands-on, engagement.