OPAL 

We are pleased to announce that we are an OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) school! Our OPAL journey started in September 2025

OPAL is based on the idea that, as well as learning through good teaching, children also learn when they play. 20% of our children’s time in school is playtime, so we want to make sure that this time (equivalent to 1.4 years of primary school) is as beneficial as possible.

One of the many reasons we are starting OPAL is because we know that childhood has changed with:

●       Average screen times per day of six hours.

●       Average outdoor play time per week is five hours.

●       Percentage of UK children who only play outdoors with other children at school is 56%.

 The Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Primary Programme is a mentor-supported school improvement programme. It addresses all of the areas schools must plan for if they want to strategically and sustainably improve the quality of their play opportunities.

The OPAL Primary Programme is the only programme of its kind that has been independently proven to sustainably improve the quality of play in British primary schools. The progreamme is the result of over 20 years of testing and development in over 800 schools and has been used in Spain, Canada, France and New Zealand. The programme has also been adapted and used in schools in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Austria under the Play Friendly Schools project. In 2018, OPAL won first prize in an EU-funded award for the best active school’s programme in Europe and two UK national playwork awards. In 2019, OPAL was awarded a quarter of a million pounds by Sport England to bring the programme to many more schools.

Given the importance of play in children’s lives and current concerns about children’s health and opportunity to access time and space to initiate their own play outdoors, there are considerable benefits for children, parents, school and the wider community from participating in OPAL’s programme. The OPAL Primary Programme supports schools in developing a cultural shift in thinking about and supporting children’s play.

Its success comes from a series of interrelated actions undertaken with the specialist support from the OPAL mentor. This embeds play into school’s policies and practices and establishes clear guiding principles and strategies for initiating changes at playtimes. The results can be transformational and – at best – spectacular!!

OPAL play is all weather outdoor play and children will need to bring the following items to school every day. 

• A pair of wellies 

• A waterproof coat

Please ensure that your child's wellies and coat are labelled with their name. 

We aim to develop a range of zones on the school grounds, so that eventually the children are accessing the playground and field all year round.