Of the seven years that your child will spend at primary school, nearly 1.5 years will be spend outside actively playing, making 'playtime' an extremely important part of the day to get right.
During their time spent outside, we model kindness and respect and support the children in having happy and creative playtimes.
We are a Kiva School
KiVa is a whole-school anti-bullying approach which encourages kindness and empowers children to work together to tackle bullying if it occurs. It originates from Finland and is the most extensively researched and effective anti-bullying programme in the world. 'KiVa' means 'nice'. Your child will take part in KiVa lessons and online games throughout their time at Cockington. At playtimes, we have KiVa kids on the look out to reward children who are 'caught being KiVa' and to be a friend to all.
Continuous provision
Children in Reception and Year 1 have designated outdoor continuous provision areas environments set up with creative areas for the children to continue their learning through play and exploration.
Our Opal Strategy
OPAL stands for Outdoor Play and Learning and is a particular passion of ours. We believe that a carefully planned play environment gives children endless opportunities for creative and collaborative play. Children at Cockington have access to a wide-range of 'zones' at playtimes - from the chill out zone to scrapstore corner to the ballcourt to the sensory garden! We have OPAL staff leaders who support and encourage creative play.
wild for learning
At Cockington, we are very proud of our unique 'Wild for Learning' programme. During their time at school, your child will take part in 'Wild for Learning' sessions in our outdoor environment and local area. These sessions are based on the Forest School model, which is a unique way of building independence, self-esteem and a positive attitude towards learning as they explore and experience the natural world for themselves.
The aims of the sessions are mapped out across the years to build knowledge and skills in:
Oracy: We use the Plymouth oracy ladder to plan developmental opportunities in speaking and listening, from communicating with others while making dens to retelling stories with the help of handmade journey sticks.
Values: WfL sessions are designed around our 6 school values, with each session starting by introducing the session's focus value and ending at the fire circle with each child reflecting on how they have used their values. Percy Perseverance is particularly handy in the knot tying sessions!
For more information, please view our Wild For Learning Poster.
