What happens when a school takes play seriously?

Reepham Primary School in Norfolk treats playtime as an important part of the school day, with thought given to the environment, resources and staff support around it. Now the school community is working together to make sure its physical play spaces reflect that approach

At Reepham Primary School, playtime is not viewed simply as the gap between lessons.

For the school, it is an important part of children’s day. It’s one of the times when they have the freedom to lead for themselves, make decisions, negotiate friendships, invent games, solve problems and work things out without every moment being directed by an adult.

That thinking has led the school to look more closely at its own playtimes and ask a fairly simple question: if play is important, are we giving it the same thought and attention that we give to other areas of school life?

Headteacher Caroline Henry explains: “At Reepham, we think about playtime with the same level of care and consideration that we give to what happens in the classroom.

“We wouldn’t expect great teaching to happen without planning, reflection, the right resources and investment in our staff, and playtime should be no different. When you take the time to look at how children are using the space, what is working, where the challenges are, and give staff the training and confidence to support play well, you begin to see really positive changes unfold.

“Playtime shouldn’t be an afterthought. When it is given proper thought and value, the impact can be seen in children’s confidence, relationships, behaviour and wellbeing.”

Children first

That approach is not about making play more adult-led. In many ways, it is the opposite.

The aim is to create the right conditions for children to be able to lead their own play: enough opportunity for movement and imagination, places to explore and create, appropriate challenge, resources that can be used in different ways, and adults who understand when to support and when to stand back.

The next challenge for Reepham is the physical environment. The immediate priority is a significant transformation of the school’s Early Years outdoor area, alongside continued improvements to play opportunities and resources across the wider school.

The aim is not simply to install more equipment. The school wants to create environments that give children more scope to move, imagine, explore, take appropriate risks and direct their own play. As a state-funded primary school, however, finding the money for that level of improvement is difficult when the school budget is already meeting so many competing needs.

This is where Friends of Reepham Primary School, the school’s fundraising charity, has stepped in. Rather than scaling back the ambition, the charity is looking at how it can raise a level of funding that would be difficult to achieve through traditional school fundraising alone.

Our role as Friends of Reepham Primary School is to help find the funding that allows the environment to catch up with that ambition

Spreading the word

On 10 September, it staged The Playmakers’ Gala at The Thursford Collection, bringing together the school community, businesses and people working in and around play for an evening that is both a fundraiser and an opportunity to talk about why this work matters.

Eugene Minogue, Executive Director of Play England, spoke at the Gala, placing the work taking place at Reepham within the wider national picture for children’s play and Play England’s 10-year It All Starts with Play! strategy. He was joined by Therese Hoyle, founder of Positive Playtimes, whose work with schools focuses on improving the quality of playtimes and helping staff understand how better play provision can affect the wider school day.

The evening also included a hosted conversation bringing together perspectives from sport, education and child development. For Friends of Reepham Primary School, the Gala was ultimately a practical response to the gap between what the school wants to provide and what existing funding allows.

Gala organiser Rose Levien said: “We’re very fortunate to have a school that genuinely values play. Our role as Friends of Reepham Primary School is to help find the funding that allows the environment to catch up with that ambition. When the amount needed goes beyond what you could realistically raise through the usual school events, you have to think differently. The Gala is one way of bringing a much wider group of people around the project.

“What has been really encouraging is seeing businesses and people outside the immediate school community understand what we’re trying to do and want to be part of it.”

There is no suggestion that Reepham has found a model every school should simply copy.

What it does show is what can begin to happen when a school decides that play is worth thinking about properly, looks honestly at what children currently experience, and gives itself permission to be ambitious about improving it.

For a small Norfolk primary school, that has started with culture, staff and the everyday experience of playtime. The next step is making sure the spaces themselves are able to support it. More information: [www.reephamfriends.org/playmakers](http://www.reephamfriends.org/playmakers)

About Reepham Primary School Reepham Primary School is a state-funded primary school in Norfolk. Friends of Reepham Primary School is the school’s registered fundraising charity. Registered Charity (1052928)