OPAL

Outdoor Play and Learning

Did you know? 

Play makes up 20% of school life… That means per year you spend: 231 hours playing = 37 days = 7.4 weeks

We continue to work on our OPAL journey, striving to improve our lunchtime offer for children. We are delighted to announce that in September 2025 EHPA achieved the prestigious OPAL Silver Award for the second time. Recieving the OPAL SIlver Award aknowledges the quality of play we provide for all our children. This award recognises that we have sustained high-quality outdoor play provision, leading to improved child well-being and enjoyment in school. 

There are many benefits to the OPAL programme including:

• Improving playtimes for all children meaning happier children and children who come into the classroom ready to learn
• Improving our play spaces across the school making the most of our wonderful spaces and ensuring a fully inclusive play offer 
• Encouraging children to be creative, resilient, independent and collaborative whilst respecting those around them 
• Improving behaviour at playtimes
• It’s fun!

Our mission is for every child to have an amazing playtime, every day … no exceptions!

• It keeps us active and healthy.
• It helps us to build positive friendships.
• It helps us to become resilient.
• It allows us to take risks.
• It helps us to become imaginative and creative.
• It makes us happy and is good for our wellbeing.

We have listened very carefully to our children, parents and staff about how to improve our playtimes in school and have created some exciting areas for children to enjoy. These include:

• Large tyre play
• Construction and building
• Lego
• Water play
• A digging area

At East Herrington we enjoy getting ‘messy’ and we always have suitable footwear for our outdoor play, even in the rain and mud! We all have wellies or shoes to wear when in muddy areas and some waterproof suits kindly funded by Friends of the School. These suits will help us to play in all weathers whilst keeping warm and dry.

Our OPAL Play Assemblies have helped everyone to understand how to have fun, take risks and play safely. KS1 and KS2 have vote and elected ‘OPAL Leaders’ and the children have taken on their roles with much enthusiasm. They are now trained and qualified to help with resources and help other children play together if they are lonely on the yard. You can spot a OPAL Leader in their special uniform which consists of a hi-vis vest and an OPAL badge. 

Sports Leaders in Y5 and Y6 will work alongside our OPAL Leaders to ensure that outside time is always safe and fun!