Kate Smith

Kate has been an OPAL mentor since 2019 and has been enjoying supporting schools in their OPAL journey across the South-west of the UK.

Kate has previously experienced a large variety of jobs – from insurance clerk to armed forces radiotelegraphist, as well as outdoor educator, Forest School leader and playworker. Kate has also worked at a busy adventure playground for many years, working with children of all ages and their families - adventure playgrounds in the UK and worldwide have been co-creating play environments with children, for children for over 70 years.

After gaining a bachelor's degree in education, specialising in PE, Kate’s passion for play led her to complete a master’s degree in children’s play – with a particular focus on how weather, or people’s perception of weather, can affect children’s play (pretty apt in the soggy south-west!)

These varied experiences help to inform Kate’s balanced approach to children’s play, risk-taking and learning.