Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL)

Welcome to OPAL

Outdoor Play and Learning

At Rushall our vision is to foster an environment where children will learn to be empathetic, intelligent and resilient learners and leaders of the future who can adapt in an ever changing world. Children should be inquisitive and independent learners who are prepared for the challenges and opportunities within their lives beyond Rushall.

We believe that all children need opportunities to play that allow them to explore, manipulate, experience and affect their environment. We believe play provision should be welcoming and accessible to every child, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, economic or social circumstances, ethnic or cultural background or origin, or individual abilities.

Our policy for play is underpinned by the OPAL approach. The OPAL Primary Programme rationale is that “… better, more active and creative playtimes can mean happier and healthier children, and having happier, healthier, more active children usually results in a more positive attitude to learning in school, with more effective classroom lessons, less staff time spent resolving unnecessary behavioural problems, fewer playtime accidents, happier staff and a healthier attitude to life.”

High quality play experiences will deepen understanding of the values taught through our PSHE lessons. (See below). Children will have opportunities to act out, rehearse, negotiate, empathise, explore and create in contexts that are meaningful to them.

Our OPAL Journey

Our OPAL journey began in spring 2025 when we began working with the OPAL team to transform our lunch times. This amazing journey is being documented on our school blog – please follow the link on our home page to see more!

In a very short time we have:

• Received high quality whole team training on play

• Consulted with staff, parents and children on how best to develop our playground

• Received hundreds of donations of items including blankets, cushions, wellington boots, pots and pans, sand and soil and a beautiful boat!

We've re-designed our playground and started to develop new areas including:

• A digging area

• A den building area

• A chalking and water painting area

• Free building with cardboard and loose parts

• A giant sand pit

• A nature café

• A boat

The value of play

Play is defined as a process that is intrinsically motivated, directed by the child and freely chosen by the child. Play has its own value and provides its own purpose. It may or may not involve equipment or other people.

We believe that:

● Play is critical to children’s health and wellbeing, and essential for their physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development.

● Play enables children to explore the physical and social environment, as well as different concepts and ideas.

● Play enhances children’s self-esteem and their understanding of others through freely chosen social interactions, within peer groups, with individuals, and within groups of different ages, abilities, interests, genders, ethnicities and cultures.

● Play requires ongoing communication and negotiation skills, enabling children to develop a balance between their right to act freely and their responsibilities to others.

● Play enables children to experience a wide range of emotions and develop their ability to cope with these, including sadness and happiness, rejection and acceptance, frustration and achievement, boredom and fascination, fear and confidence.

● Play encourages independence, self-confidence and the ability to make choices, problem solve and to be creative.

● Play enables children to develop empathy for others and a deeper understanding and acceptance of differences.

● Play maintains children’s openness to learning, develops their capabilities and allows them to push the boundaries of what they can achieve.

We aim to:

● Provide a varied, challenging and stimulating environment.

● Allow children to take risks and use a common-sense approach to the management of these risks and their benefits.

● Provide opportunities for children to develop their relationships with each other.

● Enable children to develop respect for their surroundings and each other.

● Aid children’s physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development.

● Provide a range of environments that will encourage children to explore and play imaginatively.

● Provide a range of environments that will support children’s learning across the curriculum and learning about the world around them.

● Promote independence and teamwork within children.

● Build emotional and physical resilience.

● Prepare children for am life beyond Rushall.

At Rushall, we believe that the best classroom is beneath the open sky, where children can explore, imagine, and learn in an environment that stimulates their senses and encourages creativity. This page is designed to provide you with an understanding of our philosophy and the key elements from our play policy document.

Imaginative play is at the heart of the OPAL approach. We recognize that through imaginative play, children develop critical cognitive and social skills. By engaging in activities that require them to create stories, scenarios, and roles, children enhance their problem-solving abilities and emotional intelligence.

There are many benefits of this approach including:

Creativity and Innovation

Children learn to think outside the box, developing unique solutions to challenges.

Social Skills and Cooperation

Playing together in imaginative scenarios fosters teamwork and communication.

Emotional Development

Role-playing helps children understand different perspectives and manage emotions.

Through OPAL, children can thrive in a nurturing, imaginative, and hands-on learning environment. Together, we can inspire the next generation to become creative thinkers, empathetic leaders, and passionate stewards of our planet. Come and play with us and experience the joy of learning outdoors!