Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Project
Here at Dane Bank Primary School, 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. For many, most of their best childhood memories are from playing outdoors, climbing trees and exploring the wide world around them. OPAL gives us the opportunity to give these memories to all the children. OPAL is all about using naturally and man-made resources to allow children to be inspired and creative at playtime. An OPAL approach promotes a more inclusive play environment in which all children can feel comfortable to express themselves.
Research shows that children's mental and physical health is unfortunately getting worse and that great play can help to make it better. During seven years at primary school, children spend 1.4 years at play! It is important to us, that this is time well spent, where the children can thrive and be happy!
With all this in mind, we started our journey with the OPAL programme in the Autumn Term of 2024. Up to this point we have:
- Met with our OPAL Mentor on numerous occasions to create an Action Plan for our project.
- Undertaken training with all staff outlining the importance of high-quality play and considering how we can help to facilitate this for all our children.
- Completed a grounds overview - looking at how our outdoor grounds are currently used and how we could maximise our use of some areas, e.g. - our school field.
- Started to gather resources that will support our launch of the project - our parent/carers have been incredibly generous in donating lots of items such as: scooters, small world play items, mud kitchens, pre-loved dressing up clothes, role play items and so much more...!
What are the benefits of OPAL Play?
- All children are able to engage in fun activities at playtime.
- Supports effective inclusion during the least structured times of the school day.
- Improves children's mental health
- Research shows OPAL children are happier.
- Supports children's social and emotional development
- Links to formal learning - increased creativity, imagination and collaborative skills.
- Through the OPAL approach to play children are not only more active at playtime, but they are also having the opportunity to further develop life skills such as cooperation, team work and problem solving.
- Supports children in becoming motivated and enthusiastic builders, engineers, explorers and designers.
How can you help?
We are so grateful to have already had lots of donations to help us to get our OPAL project started. We will need a regular stream of donations moving forwards - so, it would be amazing if parents/carers could keep us in mind at all times! The items we are always looking for are outlined below:
As well as the items above, we are also grateful for donations of:
| Pushchairs |
PVC pipes & drain pipes |
Crates | Wheeled office chairs | Planks of wood | Child-friendly garden tools |
Please click the link below to read our Play Policy - this outlines our rationale behind the project and how we intend to implement the project moving forwards. There is also a link to the Health and Safety Executive Guidance on Children's Play and Leisure:
HSE Guidance - Children's Play & Leisure
Parents may also be interested in reading the OPAL "Power of Playtimes" book for parents:
doc 7 17 opal parents power of playtimes book a5.pdf