Opal Play
Our OPAL Journey
Our OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) journey began in October 2025 when Mrs Cooke initially visited an Opal school and saw the transformative play times it created for the children. The school she visited had role play opportunities, music playing, a huge sandpit, and so much more. All of the children were smiling, happy and having the best playtime with their friends. The children she spoke to said they loved Opal and it was one of the best things about their school. As a result, Mrs Cooke contacted Opal and our journey began.
After having a couple of initial meetings with the Opal team and our mentor, we started the programme which involved training for staff and completing a baseline assessment of what normal playtimes looked like. Children always fed back in our class forums that they wanted more to play with during the day. The children helped to write our "play charter" to make sure everyone was able to join in and enjoy their lunchtimes and this encouraged them to be part of the implementation of Opal.
In May 2026 we introduced of a number of exciting "quick wins" designed to transform playtimes for our children. Dressing-up clothes, small world toys, music stations, suitcases, spinning office chairs and a range of role-play resources immediately captured children's imaginations and sparked new opportunities for creativity, collaboration and fun.
One of the highlights of our early development was the creation of our very own sandpit. Thanks to a team of fantastic volunteers who generously gave their time and energy to dig and build it, we now proudly have "St Mary's Beach", one of the most popular areas of our playground.
Since September 2026, Opal at St Mary's has continued to grow and flourish. New additions include a crawl-through tunnel, water play area, digging zone and a vibrant music wall, all providing children with rich opportunities for exploration, investigation and imaginative play. Most recently, we opened our woodland area, creating calm social spaces, opportunities for nature-based play and exciting fort-building adventures.
On 2nd October 2026, we welcomed families to our first Opal parent session. More than 100 visitors joined us to experience the magic of Opal firsthand and see how our playground has been transformed into a space full of creativity, challenge and joy.
The impact has been remarkable. Children are embracing the new play experiences with enthusiasm, confidence and imagination. However, our journey is far from complete. Next on our development plan are dedicated den-building areas, bikes and scooters, opportunities for tree climbing, and many more exciting additions that will further enrich children's play opportunities.
This truly has been a community effort, and the success of Opal so far is a testament to the incredible support we have received from across the St Mary's family and beyond. From our dedicated Opal team and committed staff, to our wonderful families both past and present, governors, local businesses and volunteers, so many people have given their time, skills, resources and enthusiasm to help bring our vision to life. Whether building new play spaces, donating resources, sharing expertise or simply lending a helping hand, every contribution has played an important part in creating the amazing play opportunities our children now enjoy. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity, encouragement and community spirit shown throughout this journey and would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported us along the way. Together, we are creating something truly special for the children of St Mary's.
With our accreditation visit due in June 2027, we are working towards achieving the highest recognition possible and are aiming proudly for the Opal Platinum Award. We are excited about what lies ahead and look forward to continuing to create an outstanding play environment where every child can thrive.
Children’s quotes
- “Opal is great fun and it makes me want to come to school each day and see what is available to play with”
- “I like dressing up and dancing with my friends”
- “I loved it because I got to play with Mummy and it was really fun”
- ”I went to the craft area with my Dad and we painted something. I then showed my Dad my pile of sticks on the forest and my dad said you are so lucky to have all these things to play with”
- “My Daddy and Nanna came, and I showed them the red shells you can spin in. My Daddy and Nanna both said they loved it”
- ”My Daddy came and I loved showing him all the Opal things I play with”
- “My Mummy and Daddy came. I showed them the woodland area and they really liked it. We would all love to do it again”
- “My dad came and he loved it. He said he liked every single part of it. I really liked going in the digging area”
- “Both my parents came and it was good to show them around and help them to understand why I come home so dirty sometimes. They liked it”
Parent Quotes
- “It was so great to see all the children having such a great play time with all the different equipment, play areas, and the various equipment. The children just seemed so happy!! I spoke with a couple of the girls at the mud kitchen and they love it. It really was tremendous to see.”
- “I was thoroughly impressed with the breadth of play options for the kids - excellent range of role play, adventure and sports. I think it’s a great addition for the kids and hope it’s something that you’ll keep working on for some time.”
- “I just wanted to say how much I really enjoyed coming to the school today for the OPAL visit. Thank you to all the staff for the amazing job they have done to make it such a safe and fun space for the children to enjoy. It’s clear all the children enjoy it so much.”
- “A huge congratulations to you and the staff, especially the Opal leaders, who have put Opal in place and got it to such a high level in a very short space of time! There is so much work that has gone into the initiative from so many people. It is clearly paying off in the enjoyment of the children. What you are accomplishing is phenomenal.”