The award-winning OPAL Primary Programme helps schools to improve children’s play experiences.

At Windmill, we believe in the ‘power of play’ and recognise that having quality time and provision to play is essential for positive mental and physical health, exploring learning in new ways and for the development of healthy relationships.

The programme is helping us to plan for and invest in play in the same way as other areas of our curriculum! And the results are already being seen in schools across the world – children in OPAL schools concentrate better in class, are healthier and happier and so are the staff!

OPAL Mentor: Wendy Syalon

Headteacher: Ruth Pickering

Curriculum Lead: Katy Aggus

Play Co-ordinator: Amanda Musgrove

Governor Rep: Tanya Mellors

Governor Rep: TBC

Play Team: Aimee Stagnitto, Salvatore Dinolfo, Lucinda Rahmen, Shabeena Hussain, Naueena Ahmed, Rashada Naheed, Aamira Bibi, Francesco Garofalo

We follow the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Guidance for taking a balanced approach to all of the risks associated with free play.

OPAL approaches to play seek to weigh-up the potential benefits to a play activity against the risks that it may pose. We teach children about risk and view healthy risk-taking to be an important life-skill that we need to develop in all of our children. We know that none of our Play Leaders can watch every child at every minute during play. We take a ‘Dynamic Supervision’ approach instead

Please see the attached document for further information and for  a copy of the HSE guide.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – Managing Risk in Play and Leisure

Dynamic risk-benefit assessment process poster

Play types

OPAL Website

The Power of Playtime!