We want to improve the lunchtime and playtime experience for children at Hallgate. The Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Programme is the result of over 20 years of testing and developing in over 800 schools and is used widely around the world.

OPAL is based on the idea that as well as learning through teaching, your children also learn when they play. 20% of the school day is play and we want to make sure that this time is as good as possible for the children at Hallgate.

Over the years, childhood has changed and many children no longer get their play needs met out of school. For example:

• Average screen time is 6 hours per day.
• Average outdoor play time is 5 hours per week.
• Percentage of children who only play outdoors with other children at school is 56%.

There are many proven benefits for schools which carry out the OPAL programme. They usually include: more enjoyment of school, less teaching time lost to disputes between children, less accidents and greatly improved behaviour.

1. Children learn through their play: We don’t underestimate the value of play. Children learn and develop:

• cognitive skills – like maths and problem solving in a pretend grocery store
• physical abilities – like balancing blocks and running on the playground
• new vocabulary – like the words they need to play with toy dinosaurs
• social skills – like playing together in a pretend car wash
• literacy skills – like creating a menu for a pretend restaurant

2. Play is healthy: Play helps children grow strong and healthy. It also counteracts obesity issues facing many children today.

3. Play reduces stress: Play helps your children grow emotionally. It is joyful and provides an outlet for anxiety and stress.

4. Play is more than meets the eye: Play is simple and complex.  There are many types of play: symbolic, sociodramatic, functional, and games with rules-–to name just a few. Researchers study play’s many aspects:  how children learn through play, how outdoor play impacts children’s health, the effects of screen time on play, to the need for play in the school day.

5. Make time for play: As parents, you are the biggest supporters of your children’s learning. You can make sure they have as much time to play as possible during the day to promote cognitive, language, physical, social, and emotional development.

6. Play and learning go hand-in-hand: They are not separate  activities. They are intertwined. Think about them as a science lecture with a lab. Play is the child’s lab.

7. Play outside: Remember your own outdoor experiences of building forts, playing on the beach, sledding in the winter, or playing with other children in the neighbourhood. Make sure your children create outdoor memories too.

8. There’s a lot to learn about play: There’s a lot written on children and play. Here are some NAEYC articles and books about play. David Elkind’s The Power of Play (Da Capo, 2007 reprint) is also a great resource.

9. Trust your own playful instincts: Remember as a child how play just came naturally? Give your children time for play and see all that they are capable of when given the opportunity.

10. Play is a child’s context for learning: Children practice and reinforce their learning in multiple areas during play. It gives them a place and a time for learning that cannot be achieved through completing a worksheet. For example, in playing restaurant, children write and draw menus, set prices, take orders, and  make out checks.  Play provides rich learning opportunities and leads to children’s success and self-esteem.

Play is not messing about. It is the process evolution has come up with to enable children to learn all of the things they cannot be taught, while also having so much fun. There are certain things children must have in order to be able to play.

These include:

• Having clothes they can play in.
• Having things to play with.
• Having a certain amount of freedom. 

As we develop play opportunities for the children at Hallgate, you may find us asking for resources and making changes about how we use our school grounds. This information will be communicated via regular OPAL Newsletters and also through our usual communication channels.

We are in the process of developing a 'wish list' to support the areas that are currently being worked on and will let you know how you can help in due course.

More information specifically for parents can be found here:

You will be able to learn about OPAL on the OPAL website.

A range of videos are available on YouTube, showing OPAL in action; please have a look and see how we envisage playtimes at Hallgate to look in the future!