Playtimes at Wessex Primary School are changing...

Amazing play, every day, for every child.

February 2026

We are excited to announce that we have signed up to work with OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) on an 18 month project to improve our playtimes at Wessex.     ​

Research has shown that children spend 20% of their time in school playing. This equates to 1.4 years of their school attendance.​

To ensure that this time and our fantastic school grounds are used to their full potential, from March 2026 our school will adopt an OPAL philosophy that allows the children freedom to explore play in their own imaginative ways, often using found and gathered resources in the natural outdoor environment as well as man-made items.  ​​

We believe that play is essential for physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of each child. An OPAL approach promotes a more inclusive play environment in which all children can feel comfortable to express themselves. Most of our best childhood memories are from playing outdoors, climbing trees and exploring the wide world around us. OPAL will give us the opportunity to give those memories to your children.  ​

Through this approach to play, children will not only be more active at playtimes, but they will also have the opportunity to further develop life skills such as cooperation, teamwork and problem solving. This will enable them to become motivated and enthusiastic builders, engineers, explorers and designers. 

Watch this space for updates and photographs of our journey to develop play experiences for all our children over the coming months.