OPAL - Outdoor Play and Learning

Play - The unteachable curriculum 

The way children learn the things that cannot be taught 

We are very excited to be undertaking a joint playground development project with the infant school and the support from an organisation called OPAL.  


OPAL stands for ‘outdoor play and learning’ and is a strategic improvement programme designed to help us improve opportunities for play and make sure our outdoor environment provides the best range of experiences for the children. We started this 18 month project in September 2023 and are due to be fully up and running by February 2025.

Below is more information about OPAL and why we feel this is a fantastic project to undertake.


Did you know that playtime is about 20% of every child’s day at school? It is also, for many children, one of the few times that they have to play outside regularly with their friends and without devices.

The Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Primary Programme is the result of over 20 years of testing and development in over 800 schools across the UK and internationally.

OPAL is based on the idea that, as well as learning through good teaching, your children also learn when they play. 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.

There are many proven benefits for schools that carry out the OPAL Primary Programme. They usually include children enjoying school more, more teaching time because there are fewer accidents and arguments, increased physical activity and even children becoming better at maths.

Play is not messing about. It is the process evolution has come up with to enable children to learn all of the things that cannot be taught. That is why it is fun.

There are certain things children must have in order to be able to play. These include:

If you would like to learn more about the OPAL Primary Programme, please have a look at the OPAL website (www.outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk), where you will find lots of useful information. 

Our OPAL Journey so far

September 2023


October 2023


November 2023


December 2023


January 2024


February 2024


March 2024


April 2024


May 2024


June 2024


Next steps