NORTH FAWDON PRIMARY SCHOOL 

Happy Playtimes • Active Children • Endless Possibilities

Welcome to OPAL at North Fawdon!

At North Fawdon Primary School, we believe that play is a vital part of every child's happiness, wellbeing and development.

We are proud to have embraced the Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) programme and to have spent the past year developing exciting, creative and inclusive play opportunities for our children.

Our aim is to make every playtime an adventure, where children can follow their interests, use their imagination, build friendships and develop confidence through play.

Whether they are creating, exploring, problem-solving or enjoying time with friends, our children are learning important life skills while having fun!

Why is OPAL so important?

• Creativity: Inspiring imagination, curiosity and problem-solving.
• Friendship: Learning to cooperate, communicate and include others.
• Confidence: Building independence, resilience and the courage to try new things.
• Wellbeing: Enjoying active, happy playtimes and the outdoors.

Celebrating Our First Year of OPAL

Over the past year, OPAL has become an important part of life at North Fawdon. We have been developing our playtimes to offer children greater choice, opportunities for adventure and the freedom to enjoy different types of play.

We love seeing children use their imagination, work together, overcome challenges and discover new ways to play.

Meet Our OPAL Play Rangers!

Our OPAL Play Rangers are a special team of children who help make our playtimes the best they can be!

They are enthusiastic role models who help us to:

• Encourage children to join in and enjoy play.

• Share ideas and suggestions from other pupils.

• Promote kindness, friendship and inclusion.

• Help care for our play spaces and resources.

• Celebrate the wonderful play happening across school.

Our Play Rangers help make sure that children's voices are at the heart of our OPAL journey.

Learning to Play Safely

At North Fawdon, we understand that children learn and grow by trying new things, exploring challenges and taking appropriate risks.

Our staff support children to make sensible choices, assess risks and develop independence in a carefully managed play environment.

We encourage children to be adventurous while also showing kindness, care and respect for one another.

How Can Families Support OPAL?

Our OPAL approach makes use of loose parts — everyday objects and materials that children can move, combine and transform through imaginative play.

Families can support our OPAL journey by talking to children about their playtimes, encouraging outdoor play and sharing ideas with us.

From time to time, we may also ask for specific recycled or unwanted materials to enrich our play provision. Any contributions are entirely voluntary, and there is never an expectation for families to purchase items.

Our Children's Voices

The best people to tell you about OPAL are our children!

We listen carefully to their ideas and experiences so that our playtimes continue to develop around what matters to them.

'My favourite part of OPAL is the monkey bars because I love swinging like a monkey.' Arham

'I love the mud kitchen because we get to get messy and dig.' Heaven

'I love the digging area. It's sooo cool; I love digging.' Yousef

'My Favourite is the spinning plates. I've found my hidden talent.' Annas

Our OPAL Journey Continues...

After a fantastic first year, we are excited to continue developing our playtimes, listening to our children and creating even more opportunities for adventure, friendship and fun.

Because at North Fawdon, play matters!

OPAL News

October 2026

In the last 12 months we have transformed our lunchtimes and have been enjoying OPAL play throughout the year. We are continuing to develop and expand our OPAL to create more opportunities for our children to be creative and active in outdoor play.​

This term, we are excited to be opening our reading wagon at lunchtime, so that children can enjoy a social space while relaxing and diving into a good book. We are also replacing our pagoda and transforming into a zone where children can enjoy creative play.​

We have also appointed our OPAL Play Rangers who are children who help make playtimes even better by listening to other pupils’ ideas, encouraging imaginative and inclusive play, and helping everyone enjoy happy, active and exciting playtimes.​