OPAL – Outdoor Play And Learning

OPAL!

Following our recent audit we are immensely proud to have achieved the Platinum Award which is the highest award possible!

Here’s what our Auditor said:

What a great achievement! It was an absolute pleasure to see your play offer today. The children at Charnwood Primary now have the opportunity to play freely in a variety of ways, to let the imaginations run wild and to have complete autonomy over their wonderful adventures at playtimes. As a team, you have completely embedded the value of play and a child led approach into your school culture. The children at Charnwood Primary now feel a sense of ownership over their play environment, their voices are strong and respected and they feel that their requests are listened to and acted upon. With the variety of incredible play opportunities now available, and many more in the pipeline, I am so proud that you have achieved the Platinum Standard for OPAL play, the highest accolade available, putting you in the top 1% of all schools nationally with the quality of your play provision.

Play at Charnwood is a massive part of the day and OPAL has had a huge impact on how staff and children spend their play times.  This page will keep you updated oour journey to more exciting play. Click on this link to get an idea of what has been going on at Charnwood: Before, Now and After

What is OPAL?

OPAL stands for Outdoor Play And Learning. OPAL is a community interest company dedicated to providing services to schools and organisations to improve the quality of play opportunities for all children.

Charnwood Play Charter 

Children came up with their own play charter! Click the link to see their wonderful ideas of how play should be: Charnwood Play Charter

Do you have any ideas to make playtime better? Add them to the wall below: 

https://padlet.com/mrjwilcock/tul82s0ezqoi2of3` 

Changes are Happening Every Day!

According to Play England:
Research shows that play has many benefits for children, families and the wider community, as well as improving health and quality of life. Recent research suggests that children’s access to good play provision can:
• increase their self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-respect
• improve and maintain their physical and mental health
• give them the opportunity to mix with other children
• allow them to increase their confidence through developing new skills
• promote their imagination, independence and creativity
• offer opportunities for children of all abilities and backgrounds to play together
• provide opportunities for developing social skills and learning
• build resilience through risk taking and challenge, problem solving, and dealing with new and novel situations
• provide opportunities to learn about their environment and the wider community.

Playtimes At Charnwood Have Changed!

We have launched an exciting new project to make our play times even better, in conjunction with OPAL.  OPAL has won the best active schools’ programme in Europe award and been cited in two Parliamentary Reports as outstanding practice. With playtime making up a large portion of the school day, we feel it gives children the perfect opportunity to learn and apply our school values.