OPAL - Outdoor Learning and Play 

At Watling Street we recognise and value the importance of play for our children's physical, social and emotional development. 

OPAL - Outdoor Play and Learning - is all about improving opportunities for physical activity, socialisation, cooperation, coordination, resilience, independence, creativity, imagination and enjoyment through improved play. Making playtime fun!

The OPAL Primary Programme 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.

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 good as possible.

One of the many reasons we are an OPAL school 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%.

There are many proven benefits for schools that are part of the OPAL Primary Programme. They include more enjoyment of school, less teaching time lost to disputes and falling out between children, fewer accidents and greatly improved behaviour outside.

We all know how important play is. Play is not messing about. It is how children learn all of the things that cannot be taught, while also having so much fun.

To take part in OPAL full, the children will need to have a few items in school to be able to play every day. Just like Forest School, OPAL is an all-weather, all environment programme.

Children will need to have the following items available every day:

●       A pair of wellies

●       A waterproof coat

●       Waterproof bottoms

These items will need to stay in school all-year round. Can we please ask that you name everything you send in – we’re going to have over 236 pairs or 472 individual wellies!

We have lots of different OPAL ‘zones’ across our school site, currently the children have to opportunity to choose between the following zones  - 

• Cardboard

• Drawing 

• Reading

• Small loose parts

• Ball zone

• Circus skills

• Wheels

• Teddy bears picnic

• Dressing up 

• Music

• Science

• Large Loose parts

• Mud kitchen 

• Sand pit

• Digging  

To help us keep each zone stocked we will be asking for donations of old items and loose parts for the children to use in their play. 

For OPAL the children use all of the school the grounds, for all of the year. They may get a bit messy, as they are exposed to more challenges and have the freedom to play where, with whom and how they like. These experiences are essential for children’s physical and mental wellbeing and are in line with all current good practice advice on health and safety, wellbeing and development. It’s why wellies and waterproofs will be so important.

If you would like to learn more about the programme, please have a look at the OPAL website:

www.outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk,  where you will find lots of useful information and several videos so you can see it in action.

We love being an OPAL school - and so do our chidlren. Have a look at some of the wonderful photos below!