Opal

OPAL- Outdoor Play and Learning.

What is OPAL?

We have recently started a programme to improve opportunities for physical activity, socialisation, co-operation, coordination, resilience, creativity, imagination and enjoyment through improved play.

The OPAL Outdoor Play and Learning Programme is the result of 17 years testing and development in over 250 schools and is now used in Canada and New Zealand as well as across the UK.

It is based on the idea that as well as learning through good teaching, your children also learn when they play, and as 20% of their time in school is playtime, we want to make sure that this amount of time (equivalent to 1.4 years of primary school) is as good as possible.

At Coates Way, we are committed to ensuring quality play opportunities are available to all our children. We believe that play is essential for physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of each child. Most of our best childhood memories are from playing outdoors, climbing trees and exploring the wide world around us. OPAL gives us the opportunity to give those memories to your children. OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) is all about using naturally and man-made resources to allow children to be inspired and creative at playtime.

Please see our OPAL play policy for more detail.

There are many proven benefits for schools which carry out the OPAL Programme. They usually include: more enjoyment of school, less teaching time lost to disputes between children, less accidents and greatly improved behaviour.

How can parents help?

Play is not messing about but is the process that enables children to learn all of the things that cannot be taught, while also feeling like it is fun. There are certain things children must have in order to be able to play. These include:

• Having clothes that you can play in
• Having things to play with
• Having a certain amount of freedom

As we improve play opportunities for your children, you may find that we ask you for resources and is make changes about how the children use the school grounds. Children may get a bit messier, be exposed to more challenges and have greater freedoms to play where, with whom and how they like. The experiences the school is fostering are essential for children’s physical and mental well-being and health and in line with all current good practice advice on health and safety, well-being and development.

How does Opal work at Coates Way?

Our site is split into zones which are supervised by our Play Team. Children can choose to play in which zone they like, using any equipment they choose. The children are responsible for the equipment and tidying it away at the end of the session.
Children are allowed to roam, and so wellies and old outdoor coats are recommended (they then change into their indoor shoes when coming back to class). This allows us to use more of the school site more frequently and allow children the space to play however they choose.

As OPAL develops, we will be adding more resources and equipment and developing the way children play.
The OPAL Play Team (which includes Governors, Senior Leaders, Staff and Parents) regularly reviews the OPAL project to make sure it continues to be effective, safe and exciting for all children

We have a Play Assembly at least once a fortnight when we celebrate great play, introduce new activities or equipment, reminds the children about any rules or expectations.

Each week the ‘Golden Welly’ is presented to a class for something outstanding that has been noticed during OPAL playtimes. At present, we are focusing on how well the equipment is tidied up and put away. Certificates are also given to those individual children who have gone above and beyond our expectations.

Our OPAL Play team