Opal Play
Children in British primary schools spend 20% or 1.4 years of their school attendance in play and yet many schools have no strategic or values-based approach to play across all ages. The Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Primary Programme is a mentor-supported school improvement programme. It addresses all of the areas schools must plan for if they want to strategically and sustainably improve the quality of their play opportunities.
The OPAL Primary Programme is the only programme of its kind that has been independently proven to sustainably improve the quality of play in British primary schools. Research shows that play contributes to children’s physical and emotional health, well-being, approach to learning and enjoyment of school. Given the importance of play in children’s lives and current concerns about children’s health and opportunity to access time and space to initiate their own play outdoors, there are considerable benefits for children, parents, school and the wider community from participating in OPAL’s programme.
The OPAL Primary Programme supports schools in developing a cultural shift in thinking about and supporting children’s play. Its success comes from a series of interrelated actions undertaken with the specialist support from the OPAL mentor. This embeds play into school’s policies and practices and establishes clear guiding principles and strategies for initiating changes at playtimes.
Health & Safety and Insurance Statement – Woodside Primary School
At Woodside Primary School, we use OPAL’s approach to play, which is grounded in national best practice and supported by key organisations including:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
- The Play Safety Forum
- Zurich Municipal Insurance
- Local Authority Health and Safety Advisory Teams
Our play provision is designed to balance risk and benefit, recognising that managed risk is essential for children’s development, resilience, and wellbeing. We follow the recommended practice of benefit-risk assessment, which has been the national standard for play provision since 2012.
Zurich Municipal, our school’s insurer, supports this approach and recognises that high-quality play involves elements of risk. Their guidance aligns with OPAL’s principles and encourages schools to assess and document both the risks and the developmental benefits of play activities.
We maintain a live Play Risk-Benefit Assessment document, which is:
- Reviewed regularly
- Updated whenever new play areas or equipment are introduced
- Shared with all staff involved in supervising play
All staff are trained to understand and apply this guidance, ensuring that children are supported to play freely, safely, and creatively.