Last week, saw our first week of OPAL in action and what a week it was! Despite the rain, it was a resounding success. The children's laughter echoed, their curiosity unbound, and their spirits soared. We were so #PROUD of them all, and it was a joy to see them all having so much fun - even in the showers! We want to acknowledge and say a big THANK YOU to our dedicated staff and supportive community, who have been instrumental in ensuring this new play scheme has been well received by our appreciative children. Your contributions, both in terms of time and donations, has been greatly appreciated. But let's remember, this is just the beginning! As we embark on this journey of play and exploration, we have much more to look forward to; especially as we welcome Spring and the dryer weather. Our commitment to enhancing play for all children at #TeamOcklynge knows no bounds, so we ask for your continued support. For those of you whom have already generously contributed, we are so very grateful and, if you can and haven't already, would welcome an affordable donation before we have to release funds from GoFundMe towards the end of March. GO FUND ME LINK FOR OPAL HERE : https://www.gofundme.com/.../opal-play-programme-ocklynge... If you were under any doubt as to the impact this brilliant programme is already having, look at some of our learner and staff feedback from last week :- "Seeing this project come to life, after much discussion, planning and preparation, is an absolute joy. Watching the children last week brought myself and the SLT team much happiness, not only to see our learners enjoying the benefits of OPAL, but hearing our wider staff team speak so positively about its implementation and the change they witnessed, already, in how our learners were interacting with one another." Mrs Bode, Deputy Head "It was incredible to see so many of our SEN children engaged in play. Loved watching the children digging in the sand pit, witnessing some of our more introverted children happily chatting along with their peers." Ms Brown, Deputy SENCO "Great fun! Being able to draw with chalk on the wall, the new equipment, field, board games, having the opportunity to go to different playgrounds, being able to play with siblings. Brilliant!" Class Teacher "The children were so excited. I had a year 6 class with me and they were keen to tell each other what they were planning to do at lunch time. The children at the dressing up area were loving trying on the wigs and hats. A brilliant effort by all." Forest School Lead "It was so heart warming to see all the children so engaged and running about with huge smiles on their faces. They were all really keen to help tidy up and conscientious about it. I think it’s marvellous that they have the freedom to roam around the whole of the school grounds. They will thrive in the relaxed approach to rules and restriction's to their play and then having the freedom to express themselves through imagination or just running or getting busy in the dig pit, I think it’s amazing! It was also great to see all the staff happy and having fun." Ms Bussell LSA And from the children.... "Lunch time was so exciting and lots of fun." "Me and my friends had an amazing time, we loved the mud kitchen." "Every school should have a boat and dig-pit! I can't wait to go back tomorrow." "We loved the sand pit, it made play time enjoyable and fun. Something different." "Inclusive. Fun. Unforgettable!" "I can't wait for the weather to be dryer so we can get more of the small parts out, like Lego. I LOVE Lego!" "We liked it because there were different things to do, you can't get bored because there is so much choice." "No more year group areas at play, which means we can play and enjoy time with other year groups. I even played with my brother!" WATCH THIS SPACE for more OPAL news soon! #SouthDownsLearningTrust #SDLT #AchievingSuccessTogether #TeamOcklynge #OPAL #PlayProgramme #1stWeekDone #RainWillNotStopUs! #OutdoorPlay #ImaginationStation #FUN #PROUD #GoFundMe #ThankYou #AchieveBelieve&Succeed
