OPAL

Welcome to OPAL at St Anne's!

OPAL stands for Outdoor Play And Learning and it is fast becoming a huge part of life here at St Anne's. 

We believe play and learning go hand-in-hand. Playtime takes up 20% of a child’s school day and provides opportunities for children to learn all the things that cannot be taught: socialisation, co-operation, coordination, resilience, creativity, imagination and negotiation. That is why we have been striving to improve our play offer at St Anne's. 

OPAL believes that “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."

What do our play times look like?

Fun. Imaginative. Unique.

 Children are now offered new challenges and allowed to play with a range of new equipment and resources. They are allowed access to different parts of the school (such as the field and the forest) if they have suitable footwear and will be allowed to play outdoors in most weathers so you may find your child maybe a little dirtier when they arrive home! 

Our children's play is enhanced through a wide variety of resources, from tyres, suit cases, a trampoline, mud and nets, to costumes, crates, barrells and sand!

PLATINUM PLAY AT ST ANNE'S!

We are delighted to share that we have achieved the PLATINUM award for our play offer! This is the highest award you can achieve through the OPAL programme.

It is wonderful to have our achievment recognised! 

"Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expresion of what is in a child's soul."     Friedrich Fobel

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