5‑Week OPAL‑Inspired Play Plan (No Ball Games)

We’re putting ball games on the subs bench for a short while to help reset some behaviour on the playground. Recently, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in Premier League–style antics: players throwing themselves to the ground like they’ve been hit by a meteor, passionate (thought sometimes rude and aggressive) debates with “referees” (staff), and even the occasional child insisting on VAR—usually by shouting, “Ask him! He saw it!” or engaging in pushing and shoving over a nothing incident.

To help everyone cool off, rediscover sportsmanship, and remember that school isn’t actually the Premier League (even if some of the acting is convincing), we’re taking a break from ball games. Think of it as our mid‑season review—minus the transfer rumours- though if it was to continue we may consider making a request to move some!!!

Thank you for your support while we help the children get back to playing like future leaders… not future pundits.

With the days getting longer, though, there’s plenty of time after school for everyone to polish their ball skills in the local parks—or at the weekend in football clubs, where the referees come fully equipped with all the cards they could ever need… for pupils and for parents.

Guiding Principles (based on OPAL philosophy)

• Play is essential for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development.
• Children need autonomy and freedom to choose how they engage.
• Outdoor environments should provide variety, challenge, and opportunities for risk-taking in a managed way.
• Play should be inclusive, accessible, and open-ended.
• Loose parts and natural materials enrich play and stimulate imagination.

We will be encouraging children to bring in resources that we can keep in the playground to support these weekly themes.

 

How Parents Can Support Our Play-Focused Approach

Play doesn’t stop at the school gate—and children thrive when home and school work together to give them a rich variety of experiences. Here are a few simple, fun ways parents and carers can help build on our weekly play themes:

Teach them games you loved as a child

Children adore learning games that grown‑ups played “back in the day.” Whether it’s clapping games, skipping rhymes, hide-and-seek hiding strategies, or imaginative role‑play scenarios, these shared moments build confidence, connection, and creativity. They also help children understand that play comes in many forms—not just organised sport.

Encourage OPAL-style play at home

Loose parts, den building, nature collecting, imaginative small-world setups—these types of play are perfect for home too. They’re open-ended, low-cost, and brilliant for developing problem‑solving, communication, and resilience. A cardboard box, a handful of pegs, a blanket, and a garden can become a whole world of adventure.

Gather resources during half term

If you’re having a clear‑out over half term, we always welcome donations of safe, durable items such as:

• crates, boxes and baskets
• fabric, tarpaulins, old curtains or sheets, pegs and clips
• toy vehicles or figures
• pots, pans and utensils for outdoor “cooking”
• cable reels, guttering or tubes
• dressing up clothes, scarves and fabric
• musical instruments- drums, shakers, tambourines

These everyday objects fuel imaginative play and help us continually refresh our OPAL resources.

And of course… a gentle reminder about ball games outside of school

We know many of our children love football, and that’s brilliant. But we also know how competitive matches can get—especially on the sidelines! When your children are playing ball games at the park, please gently remind them (and any adults nearby!) that they aren’t Premier League stars just yet and that referees—whether they’re parents, coaches, or older siblings—deserve respect, not arguments. Learning to win well, lose well, and treat others with kindness is far more important than the scoreline.

 

 

Week 1 (23/2-27/2) — Big Build Week

Theme: Construction & Creativity
Key Play Types: Construction play, imaginative play, problem-solving, collaborative play.

Equipment & Materials

• Tyres
• Crates
• Planks
• Ropes
• Fabric sheets
• Cardboard boxes
• Cable reels
• Tarpaulins
• Pegs and clips

Activities / Invitations to Play

• Build a village: Children design and construct huts, shops, dens, or shelters.
• Loose Parts Challenge: “Can you build something taller than yourself?”
• Bridges & Pathways: Planks and crates for navigating spaces.
• Fabric Forts: Tunnels, hammocks, and cosy spaces for small-world play.

Adult Role (OPAL aligned)

• Observe and support—not direct.
• Facilitate safe risk-taking (e.g., balancing).
• Encourage teamwork and reflection.

Week 1 Assembly: Construction & Creativity (Big Build Week)

Part 1: Celebrate Last Week

• Show photos of children using crates, planks and tyres to build.
• Highlight teamwork, problem-solving, and brilliant ideas.
• Celebrate examples of safe risk-taking and children helping each other.

Part 2: Look Ahead to Next Week – Nature Explorers

• Explain that next week is all about natural materials.
• Show examples: sticks, leaves, stones.
• Ask children: “What could you create using nature?”
• Encourage them to notice nature on their walk home or at the weekend.

 

 

 

Week 2 (2/3-6/3)— Nature Explorers Week

Theme: Natural Play
Key Play Types: Exploratory play, environmental play, sensory play, solitary & social play.

Equipment & Materials

• Sticks, leaves, stones
• Kitchen equipment
• Water (buckets, jugs, funnels)
• Pots and pans
• Tarps for ground exploration

Activities / Invitations to Play

• Mud Masterchef: Create “meals” with natural ingredients.
• Nature Art Studio: Mandalas, leaf rubbings, twig sculptures.
• Mini Beast Missions: Hunt, identify, draw and release insects.
• Water Trails: Channels, puddle-making, flow experiments.
• Planting Station: Herbs, bulbs, or wildflower seeds.

Adult Role

• Model curiosity (“I wonder what will happen if…?”).
• Support care for the natural environment.
• Encourage sensory experiences.

Week 2 Assembly: Nature Explorers

Part 1: Celebrate Last Week

• Celebrate the kitchen chefs, nature artists, and bug detectives.
• Share any creative natural art or constructions.
• Highlight children showing care for insects and the environment.

Part 2: Look Ahead to Next Week – Adventure & Movement

• Explain that movement can be fun without needing any balls.
• Show simple examples: obstacle paths, climbing challenges, chalk trails.
• Ask: “What new way of moving can you try next week?”

 

 

Week 3 (9/3-13/3)— Adventure & Movement Week

Theme: Physical Challenge
Key Play Types: Physical play, locomotor play, risk-taking, imaginative movement.

Equipment & Materials

• Climbing equipment
• Stepping stones
• Obstacle course materials
• Ropes for tug-builds (not tug‑of‑war)
• Hoops (used for jumping and exploring—no games resembling ball play)
• Chalk for marking trails

Activities / Invitations to Play

• Open‑Ended Obstacle Course: Children build their own routes.
• Climb & Scramble Zone: Logs, hills, climbing frames.
• Movement Mission Cards:
• “Travel like a fox”
• “Jump between islands”
• “Move in different ways across the space”
• Chalk Adventure Trails: Hopscotch variations, zig-zags, mazes.
• Rope Pathways: Create lines to balance along or weave through.
• Traditional Games: Hopscotch/ Skipping/ Cats Craddle

Adult Role

• Ensure physical challenge remains safe.
• Encourage children to set personal challenges.

Week 3 Assembly: Adventure & Movement

Part 1: Celebrate Last Week

• Highlight children who tried new physical challenges with confidence.
• Celebrate bravery, balance, resilience and encouraging others.
• Share photos of children building their own obstacle courses.

Part 2: Look Ahead to Next Week – Creativity & Performance

• Explain that next week children can use imagination, music, costumes and performance.
• Show a scarf, simple prop or instrument as a teaser.
• Ask: “What story might you act out? What character could you be?”

 

 

 

Week 4 (16/3- 20/3)— Creativity & Performance Week

Theme: Arts, Drama & Role‑Play
Key Play Types: Dramatic play, creative arts, socio-dramatic play, storytelling.

Equipment & Materials

• Dressing-up clothes
• Scarves and fabrics
• Masks and face-paint crayons
• Outdoor stage (even a pallet works!)
• Musical instruments (hand drums, shakers, tambourines)
• Cardboard for prop-making
• Chalk and easels

Activities / Invitations to Play

• Pop‑Up Theatre: Children create their own performances.
• Costume Creations: Open-ended dressing-up with loose fabrics.
• Sound Garden: Explore rhythms and soundscapes.
• Prop‑Making Workshop: Shields, swords (safe), wings, hats.
• Chalk Murals: Large-scale collaborative artworks.

Adult Role

• Be an enthusiastic audience.
• Offer materials—but not scripts.
• Celebrate creativity and originality.

Week 4 Assembly: Creativity & Performance

Part 1: Celebrate Last Week

• Celebrate actors, dancers, musicians and set designers.
• Highlight confident performers AND those who tried something new.
• Share a whole-school applause moment for creativity.

Part 2: Look Ahead to Next Week – Imagination & Small-World Play

• Explain that next week’s play will be about tiny worlds and big ideas.
• Show small-world figures or natural items like stones, shells, fabrics.
• Ask children: “What kind of world could you build?”

 

 

 

Week 5 (23/3-27/3)— Imagination & Small‑World Week

Theme: Fantasy Worlds
Key Play Types: Small-world play, fantasy play, storytelling, collaborative play.

Equipment & Materials

• Figures (animals, people, dinosaurs, vehicles)
• Mini-construction items (stones, sticks, shells)
• Trays and small boxes
• Sand trays
• Fabric and felt for landscapes
• Wooden blocks
• Cardboard tubes

Activities / Invitations to Play

• Build a Mini City: Using blocks, stones, fabrics and figures.
• Dinosaur Island / Fairy Forest / Space Station: Themed zones children can change daily.
• Story Starters: “Once there was a creature who…”
• Sand World Construction: Rivers, caves, tunnels.
• Loose Parts Characters: Creating creatures using stones, sticks and leaves.

Adult Role

• Encourage storytelling.
• Offer vocabulary (“habitat”, “landscape”, “adventure”).
• Observe how children co‑create narratives.

Week 5 Assembly: Imagination & Small‑World Play

Part 1: Celebrate Last Week

• Share photos of mini cities, fantasy lands and stories created by children.
• Celebrate teamwork, storytelling and creativity.
• Highlight children who showed patience and collaboration.

Part 2: Look Ahead – What’s Next?

• Invite children to contribute ideas for the next play cycle.
• Ask:
• “What would you love to see added to playtime?”
• “Which areas should we build on?”
• Celebrate how much they have grown as a playful school.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY

A recent chat on GMTV LIVE about the importance of Play.

• 12:43-15:20
• 59:09
• 1:51:36-1:54:04

 

OPAL AT FAIRLIGHT

Opal explained in one simple film.

WE ARE ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!!! OFFICIAL

 

Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 31, play is a human right. All state parties have a duty to ensure every child has access to play.

Play is hugely important at Fairlight Primary and Nursery School. We understand that it is a key way in which children learn. And at this time when Well Being, Mental Health and physical health is such high profile we recognize that play is key to supporting this as it means children are happier and healthier and also play develops resilience, collaboration and inclusion.

 

Opal is an Nationally recognised and award winning, mentor supported school improvement programme that addresses all the areas that schools must plan for if they want to strategically and sustainably improve the quality of their play opportunities. Currently 32,770 schools in the UK participate as well as schools from other parts of the world including Canada, America, Malaysia, Spain and many more.

 

Fairlight Primary and Nursery School is one of just a handful of schools who have achieved the Platinum Award on several occasions and as a result of this has been invited to be part of the OPAL College. We are also one of only 5 schools worldwide to be awarded the Honours Award. This means we will continue to support other schools locally and nationally by hosting training sessions and sharing advice and support. We will also continue to develop and improve our play at Fairlight.

 

In March 2024 Fairlight Primary and Nursery accepted their most recent Award at the Houses of Parliament in Westminister and Headteacher Damien Jordan spoke to a group of assembled Ministers, Lords and advisors around the importance and the need for Play to be given a higher profile in schools at the launch of the cross party paper on Play for All.

 

https://www.paperturn-view.com/?pid=ODg8806774&p=59&mc_cid=cccd12e50a&mc_eid=06b2d9ad2b 

 

OPAL PLAY CONFERENCE

Mr Jordan proudly represented Fairlight at the Opal Play Conference 2021.

He shared with over 1000 people from around the world (Miss Stewart and Miss Joller say hi to all there Canadian teacher friends) that amazing play that we do here at Fairlight.

His speech was about the impact that Opal has had on our play and also on the process that we have been through over the last few years to improve the play and playtime experience.

As a OPAL Platinum School it was good to share with others the journey but also some of the key learning points.

 

This is Mr Jordan's Presentation. 

A picture to represent his thoughts and what he wanted to share. 

PLAY LINKS

Useful websites and social media sites providing lots of information and fun ideas around physical activity and play for children.

Websites:

Review and link to an inspirational TED Talk on play by Stuart Brown(Founder of the Institute of Play): https://medium.com/@LittleSeeds/ted-talk-review-stuart-browns-play-is-more-than-just-fun-dcf48babb382

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-just-letting-children-play-will-help-them-and-their-parents-cope-134480

https://www.encourageplay.com/connect-through-play

https://chatterpack.net/blogs/blog/resources-list-for-home-learning

Play Scotland - https://www.playscotland.org

Youth Sport Trust - https://www.youthsporttrust.org

Scouting Association - https://www.scouts.org.uk

Play Wales (Playful childhoods) - https://www.playfulchildhoods.wales

Cbeebies - https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies  (a variety of games, activities and resources to keep children learning at home). 

Zoo webcams https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/g31784857/live-animal-webcam-zoo/ -

Indoor activities - https://www.nhs.uk/chage4life/activities/indoor-activities

Live shows, outdoor expeditions, Deadly 60.  http://www.stevebackshall.com/    

Website has lots of fun activities for kids that are reasonably easy to organise and fun https://www.familydaystriedandtested.com

Interactive learning through songs, art, videos and games. https://www.sesamestreet.org

Music, exercise and activity

PE with Joe https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyCLoPd4VxBvQafyve889qVcPxYEjdSTl 

Go Noodle  (lots of songs with actions to keep fit)  https://family.gonoodle.com/

BBC Super Movers  https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers

Cosmic Yoga  https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga

Learn to dance with Oti Mabuse every day at 11.00 and at any time

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-03-25/oti-mabuses-dance-lessons-for-kids-how-to-watch/

Face Book  - sites with some fun ideas

• Uk Kidswindows                                                         
• London Play
• Inspire my play                                                          
• Chester Zoo Live
• Play Scotland                                                              
• Bristol Library – 2pm story everyday
• Children’s Scrap Store Bristol
• Play England                                                               
• The Power of Play
• We believe in outdoor play                                       
• 5 Minute Crafts
• Learning and exploring through play                        
• Early Years Scotland                 
• Planning Playtime – Learning through Play