What is OPAL?

Is 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.

Why are we implementing OPAL?

Hebburn Lakes Primary recognises the importance of the need for high quality sustainable play for children regardless of their needs and abilities and that inclusive play is achieved by offering carefully considered outdoor spaces that offer a real choice of accessible play opportunities. Childhood play has changed and many children no longer get their play needs met out of school.

Average screen time per day 5.5 hours
Average outdoor play time per week 5 hours
Percentage of UK children who only play outdoors with other children at school 56%

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.

The benefits of play:

Play is critical to children’s health and well-being, and essential for their physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development.
Play enables children to explore the physical and social environment, as well as different concepts and ideas.
Play enhances children’s self-esteem and their understanding of others through freely chosen social interactions, within peer groups, with individuals, and within groups of different ages, abilities, interests, genders, ethnicities and cultures.
Play requires ongoing communication and negotiation skills, enabling children to develop a balance between their right to act freely and their responsibilities to others.
Play enables children to experience a wide range of emotions and develop their ability to cope with these, including sadness and happiness, rejection and acceptance, frustration and achievement, boredom and fascination, fear and confidence.
Play encourages self-confidence and the ability to make choices, problem solve and to be creative.
Play maintains children’s openness to learning, develops their capabilities and allows them to push the boundaries of what they can achieve.

Children practice and reinforce their learning in multiple areas during play. It gives them a place and a time for learning that cannot be achieved through completing a worksheet. For example, when playing in the ‘mud café’, children write and draw menus, set prices, take orders, and create the ‘food’. Play provides rich learning opportunities and leads to children’s success and self-esteem.

The Hebburn Lakes way:

A variety of zones, stations, equipment, activities and areas will be available to the children and these will increase over time.

Equipment and Zones could include (but are not limited to):

Tyres
Mud Cafe and kitchen
Small world (e.g. dinosaurs, cars, fantasy world)
Mini-beast / plant exploring
Scooters, skateboards, bikes and other means of transport/travel
Hoops, balls, skipping ropes
Sports zone (e.g. football; bench-ball; netball; cricket)
Sand-play / sandpit
Music Area
Cozy Caravan
Performing (e.g. music, drama, dressing up
The Well-being Garden

Each part of the playground is supervised by Play Leaders so no child is ever out of sight or sound

Play supervisors are based at strategic points to ensure support for play leaders and the safety of the children

Children are asked to be responsible for the equipment and tidying it away at the end of the session

Children will require wellies or old trainers and old outdoor coats are recommended

The OPAL Play Team (which includes Governors, Senior Leaders and Staff) regularly reviews the OPAL project to make sure it continues to be effective, safe and exciting for all children

We have a Play Assembly when we celebrates great play, introduce new activities or equipment, reminds the children about any rules or expectations and presents a ‘Golden Welly’ award for something outstanding that has been noticed during OPAL playtimes.