SEND school embraces new 'risky play' scheme

A special school in Nottinghamshire has become the first of its kind in the East Midlands to introduce a play scheme that encourages children to take risks.

Staff and parents of pupils at Ash Lea Academy in Cotgrave have welcomed the introduction of the Outdoor Play and Learning (Opal) programme.

During lunchtimes, children use everyday objects like old pushchairs, tyres and wheelbarrows for imaginative play outside, including going down hills, climbing trees and building dens.

Head teacher Kate Davies said staff had taken care to make sure the programme could be tailored to all students.

"Our pupils have a huge range of abilities and needs, and therefore we had to think about something for everyone, not just a small group of pupils," she said.

Opal is a mentor-led scheme that supports primary schools to develop and improve their playtimes to make them more fun and creative for pupils.

The community interest company launched in the UK but now works with schools in Europe, Asia, Canada and the US.

Bobby Beaumont, from Opal, said children were no longer playing outside after school because of concerns about traffic and safety, so "delivering those free-play opportunities in school is more important than ever before".

He said it could take a while for parents and staff to get used to the programme in action because "it looks like a load of junk dotted around the playground".

The scheme encourages children to manage and mitigate their own risks by talking it through with the adults.

"[That] looks very different in this school when you've got a cohort of kids who are non-verbal and autistic, so the school had to find multiple different ways to discuss risk with their children," he said.

Pupils told the BBC they were enjoying their new-look playtimes.

Eight-year-old Josie is blind and has a tracheostomy so she communicates with her friends and teachers using sign language.

She said she loved playing doctors and nurses, plus singing and dancing on the new outdoor stage the school had built in the playground.

Ruby, 17, said: "There's so much to do now - lots of arts and crafts and sensory activities, and we're doing lots of digging.

"I really like dancing. Singing and dancing are my favourite things."

Head teacher Davies added: "Playtime has really been transformed. It's been such a positive experience for our pupils.

"It was never just about playtime, it was problem-solving, it was negotiating, it was working with different age pupils, and you can really see the staff-pupil relationships developing."

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