Teach-Primary-Issue-19.7

www.teachwire.net | 45 L E ADERSH I P W hen we first decided to introduce sustainable options into our playground at West Coker Primary School, we thought we’d just be providing an interactive and engaging environment to allow our pupils to really enjoy their breaks and lunchtimes. We had no idea we’d also see improvements in behaviour (both inside the classroom and out) and a boost in social interaction and overall wellbeing. The thing that made the biggest difference for us was our PlayPod, THIS WAY! School improvement advice for headteachers and SLT MIDDLE LEADERS | CPD | SUBJECT LEADERSHIP Reduce, reuse, RECYCLE which is essentially a secure outdoor structure filled with loose parts, including everything from cardboard tubes and ropes, to tyres, fabric, crates, and even old keyboards. You could definitely construct one of these yourself, using donated items (making sure they’re safe and clean, of course); but we got ours from Bristol-based charity, Children’s Scrapstore, which sources its materials from local businesses and industries. The best thing we found about the loose parts is that there is no set way to use them. A cardboard roll might be a telescope one day, a tunnel for toy cars the next. A pile of tyres can become a castle, a racetrack or even a spaceship to Mars. The materials invite children to use imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills to invent their own games and structures. It’s a wonderful example of how sustainability and education can go hand-in-hand, and has been transformative for our children. Pupils now work together more, and the nature of the imaginative play has also