OPAL - Outdoor Play and Learning
At Beaupre, we use the Outdoor Play and Learning Programme to build and support our play provision for children. OPAL is a multi-award-winning programme, used in hundreds of schools across the world to help enhance play, treating it as a valued part of the school curriculum.
OPAL is based on the idea that, as well as providing good teaching to educate children, we should also provide valuable learning opportunities through play.
Why is play so important?
Play is a crucial part of childhood development, helping children to develop skills across many areas.
- Socially, they develop better communication skills, improving cooperation and resilience.
- Cognitively, they improve problem-solving skills while enhancing imagination and creativity.
- Physically, they establish healthy habits of daily physical activity and improve their coordination.
The benefits of play are undeniable, and access to play is one of a child’s basic human rights. With that said, evidence shows that many children do not have their play needs met outside of school. The average screen time for children is estimated to be 6 hours a day, with the average outdoor play time being only 5 hours per week.
OPAL allows us to better meet a child’s need for play, while also taking advantage of the range of proven benefits that OPAL provides our whole school community.
What are the benefits?
The benefits of OPAL have been reported across the world, with proven effects that positively impact the whole school.
- Less teaching time lost dealing with disputes between children
- More enjoyment of playtime
- Increased resilience
- Higher school attendance
- Improved behaviour
- Improved mental health
- Fewer accidents
- More enjoyment of school as a whole
We also believe OPAL supports good values across the school by encouraging a love of the outdoors, promoting respect for the environment, building habits of reusing and recycling, teaching life skills and prioritising a focus on wellbeing.
Our OPAL journey has begun with an 18-month phased
introduction, supported by experienced professionals, giving us plenty of time to gradually introduce brilliant play opportunities for our children. We have already come together to achieve so much, with our school community generously offering their time and donations to help make our OPAL journey a success already.
What have we achieved so far?
With this community support, we have transformed our outdoor space into a play paradise, with many new areas for self-directed free play.
- Mud Kitchen
- Water Table
- Sand Pit
- Reading Area
- Scooter Track
- Small World
- Dino Play
- Resource Hospital
- Creative Station
- Music Wall
- Digging Pit
- Den Building Area
- Play House
- Lego Area
- Wheeled Toys
It doesn’t stop there, though. We have plenty of plans in place for continued improvement of our OPAL provision to offer as many amazing play opportunities as possible.
We like to keep parents/carers up-to-date with our 
OPAL progress! If you'd like to see what we have achieved so far, we have included our OPAL articles below. We also share regular updates in our weekly newsletters and on our Facebook page, including events and donation contests, so keep an eye out to see what we achieve next!