OPAL
Outdoor Play and Learning
What is OPAL?
The Outdoor Play and Learning (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.
Imaginative play at Hollinswood
OPAL is based on the idea that, as well as learning through good teaching, your children also learn when they play. Research has shown that children spend 20% of their school day playing. To ensure that this time and our fantastic school grounds are used to their full potential, our school has adopted an OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) philosophy that allows the children freedom to explore play in their own imaginative ways, often using resources found and gathered in the natural outdoor environment. There are many proven benefits for schools that carry out the OPAL Primary Programme. They usually include: more enjoyment of school, less teaching time lost to disputes between children, fewer accidents and greatly improved behaviour. Click here to see our Hollinswood play policy.
At Hollinswood Primary School, we are dedicated to providing children with the best play opportunities possible. This is why we have developed a long term play strategy. Click here to find out more!
What is the OPAL approach to play?
An OPAL approach promotes a more inclusive play environment in which all children benefit from more opportunities to express themselves and play in new ways. From playing with tyres and planks, digging, riding wheeled items, playing with a range of loose parts, enjoying imaginative play in the small world area, or cooking up a storm in the mud kitchen, OPAL offers an exciting alternative to the standard playground activities. Click here to find out more about the power of play
Play assemblies!
Once a fortnight all children attend a play assembly where we celebrate lots of wonderful play opportunities. Children also give their ideas on what we could add to our lunchtime play to make their time even more amazing! During the assembly, children think about behaviours that allow the areas to be safe and we write a shared set of agreements. We then write this into a risk benefit log and review this regularly. To find out more about health and safety and risk-benefits click here.