The adventures of play in practice during a pandemic

Thank you to Emma Quinn, Principal, Rathcoole Primary School and Nursery Unit, one of the five presenters for sharing the learning on the topic of play. Ballyclare Nursery School, Dromore Nursery School, Killylea Primary School and Sperrinview Special School also participated in the event.

As a Taking Outdoor Play Seriously (TOPS) Award school, Rathcoole Primary School and Nursery Unit has always taken outdoor play seriously. The school has amazing grounds that have been filled and re-purposed. Although the school is within walking distance of so many other amenities the school wanted their community to know and use these spaces in their setting.

Developing the outdoor area, planting trees, having a garden area, using natural and recycled materials whenever possible is part of school life. The question was, how could that be embedded further into the learning and teaching. The pandemic pushed the school to revisit how to best integrate purposeful and meaningful play into their setting from Nursery to Primary 7. 

The school’s outdoor classroom was established by planting over 300 trees and shrubs and developing a forest area. Forest school is not simply about bringing a book outdoors, reading on the grass or lifting all the chairs from the classroom to the outdoor area for a lesson. It is about making that regular sustained contact with nature, using natural resources to enhance and extend the children’s learning. These benefits stretch right across education, health and many environmental policies. It represents an alternative teaching environment that is complementary to the traditional indoor classroom.

Engaging parents online during the pandemic through platforms such as classdojo, ensuring a menu of activities to choose from to include a wellbeing Wednesday which encompassed baking, walks and lots of fun and a Forest Friday. The key was understanding the importance of adult interaction for the development of language and vocabulary. 

Emma Quinn, Principal, Rathcoole Primary School and Nursery Unit added,

“The school’s overall planning through extended schools, fundraising and other money streams, has linked to the ongoing development of the outdoor environment and space. Outdoors is essential for the wellbeing of staff and pupils and I thank my 77 year old father for all the trips to building sites to pick up old tyres, pallets and tree trunks!  

“I am proud that we have made a haven for our children in Rathcoole. With the right support, relationships with home and the wider community we know that we provide a necessary support to the school family. We are definitely more than just a school.”

Watch this space for further sharing the learning content from leaders within controlled schools participating in ‘Play in practice during a pandemic’ event.

Read ‘Play in practice during the pandemic – nursery and foundation stage’ full and summary reports 

Listen to Play in practice during the pandemic webinar recording.

14 July 2021