Cherry Garden Primary School in Bitton has been awarded a Platinum Award by the OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) Primary Programme, a nationally recognised project which places the school in the top 1% nationally for lunchtime play.
Over the last three years, the staff, parents and pupils at the school have worked tirelessly to improve the play provision. This has included revolutionising a half acre of forest area with a tree house, rope swing, outdoor classroom, pond and hideout, while other outdoor areas now have mud kitchens, a sand pit, huge amounts of loose parts to play with and even a boat – which the children named and designed a flag for – to play on.
“We are delighted that all of the hard work that has taken place right across the community has been recognised with a national award,” said headteacher Tom Hutchings. “More importantly, it is recognition of the changes that we have made to our children’s play opportunities over the last few years and recognises now that Cherry Garden is an amazing place to play, as well as learn.
“We decided to take part in the OPAL programme because we wanted to improve the play provision at the school. We have some beautiful grounds that we weren’t making anywhere near full use of, and we also recognised that whilst our playtimes offered a range of activities, there was a lack of creativity, spontaneity and freedom for the children in what was on offer.
The guidance from our OPAL mentor and some incredible work from the school’s play team, the PTA and the wider community, has helped us address all of these things and more.
“Every child in the school (186 pupils) have been involved in the project, from feeding in their ideas for play via the School Council, right through to engaging with the play every day. They have had some pretty big ideas, many of which we have been able to fulfil and bring to life – the new boat probably being the biggest of them all!
“Play is such a critical part of a child’s development and our children have benefited hugely from the improvements we have made. They are calmer and more resilient, and they have improved their social and problem solving skills. The play opportunities allow them to take their imagination wherever they want it to, and allows them to play in a way that suits them.
“We have also noticed an improvement in children’s behaviour, both at lunchtimes and in their ability to learn and readiness for lessons in the afternoons.”
As one of the pupils who benefit from the outdoor play area, Charlie said, “Playtimes at our school are joyful because there are so many different things to play with and so many different areas we can go in. I love playing in the field, in the Magic Forest, on the boat, in the mud kitchens and in the sand pit. I love building dens with my friends and zooming around on the scooters too.”
Florence added, “It’s absolutely amazing that we have won the Platinum Award. Playtimes at Cherry Garden at the absolute best and now we can prove it with our award.”