OPAL - Outdoor Play and Learning

Outdoor Play and Learning

Play is a vital part of childhood. At Coombe Hill Junior School we are proud to run the OPAL Primary Programme in partnership with our neighbouring infant school. OPAL helps us transform playtimes so that every child has access to high quality, creative and joyful play every day.

What is OPAL?

OPAL stands for Outdoor Play and Learning. It is a nationally recognised improvement programme developed over more than 20 years and used in hundreds of schools across the UK and beyond. OPAL supports schools to create richer, safer and more inclusive play opportunities through careful planning, high quality resources and a whole school commitment to play as a central part of learning.

Children spend around 20 percent of their school life playing. This is equivalent to 1.4 years of primary school. Play is essential for building resilience, creativity, problem solving skills, friendships and wellbeing. OPAL ensures that this time is purposeful, joyful and filled with opportunities for children to explore, imagine and grow.

Our vision for play

We believe play should be:

• inclusive so every child feels welcomed and able to join in

• creative and active with opportunities to climb, build, dig and explore

• social so children learn to cooperate, negotiate and self regulate

• safe but adventurous so children learn to manage risk with confidence

• led by children with adults acting as supporters rather than directors
  
  

Our Rights Respecting ethos sits at the heart of OPAL. Play helps children understand their rights to relax, play and take part in cultural and creative activities. It also strengthens relationships which are essential for attachment aware and trauma informed practice.

Our OPAL journey so far

Since beginning the OPAL Primary Programme we have transformed the way children play at Coombe Hill. Working closely with the infant school, we have reshaped our outdoor spaces so pupils enjoy a richer, more creative and more inclusive play experience every day.

Key developments in our OPAL journey include:

• creating a wide range of play zones across both school sites including natural play areas, construction spaces, wheels play on the MUGA, role play and dress up zones, circus skills zones and den building areas

• developing the orchard as a calm nature based area with opportunities for climbing, swinging and imaginative play

• introducing high quality loose parts that encourage exploration, problem solving and creativity

• establishing supervised zones for digging, water play and natural discovery

• opening the field for the full lunch period to support active and collaborative play

• training staff in risk benefit thinking to enable adventurous play in a safe and supportive environment

• appointing pupil playrangers and involving the Junior Leadership Team and Rights Respecting ambassadors in shaping our play charter

• hosting stay and play sessions so families can experience OPAL first hand and see the benefits for their children

• welcoming visitors from local schools who come to learn from our approach

We are continuing to grow our provision. A dedicated climbing zone and an expanded digging zone will be introduced soon. We are also planning a major project to build a large sand pit on the school field which will offer rich sensory and collaborative play opportunities.

Working towards Platinum

We are working towards achieving Platinum OPAL status, the highest level of the award. Our final assessment will take place in June 2026. This reflects our long term commitment to ensuring that all pupils have access to high quality, inclusive and joyful play every day.

How families can help

Play thrives when the school and community work together. To keep our play zones well resourced we are still seeking:

• loose large parts such as cable reels, crates, guttering, planks and large tubes

• loose small parts such as costumes, pots, pans, small world toys and open ended play items

• support with funding or links to companies who may be able to sponsor resources or contribute to our larger projects
  
  

If you would like to support our OPAL work or find out more about how play is developed at Coombe Hill, please get in touch.