Longvernal Primary School - Outdoor Learning

OPAL Play Project

Longvernal Platinum Play

Longvernal has been awarded the top national accolade for its play. Longvernal has achieved a platinum level award for our commitment to outdoor play, placing it in the top 1% of schools in the country. Longvernal joined OPAL in March 2018 as part of a new approach to playtimes – to ensure every single pupil enjoyed outdoor play and found something fun and rewarding to play with at every single playtime, returning to class happy and fulfilled. On Friday 11th October, Michael Follet, Director of OPAL came into school to present our prestigious platinum award.

Over the past 18 months, we have: installed a large sandpit, doubled the size of our ‘playpod’, developed our ‘play offer’ to include music, chalk, crates, bubbles, rugby posts and construction. We have re-structured our lunchtime staff into our ‘play team’ to ensure all of our children reap the multiple benefits of play, including: increased activity levels, social skills and improved mental health.

Next Steps:

We are looking forward to having a large sandpit on the school field
We are continually developing our play zones – influenced by the children. At present, guided by the children’s ideas, we have introduced a Small World toy zone, a Music zone, a construction zone and an Art zone. On Ground Force Day, parents will help paint a buddy bench, create a wooden performance zone, quiet garden, paint fences and plant bulbs.

Longvernal Play Charter

At Longvernal Primary School, we recognise the importance of the need for high quality sustainable play for children, regardless of their needs and abilities.

Children in British primary schools spend 20% or 1.4 years of their school attendance in play therefore we believe playtimes should be a happy time which contribute to children’s physical and emotional health, wellbeing, approach to learning and enjoyment of school.

This is why we are participating in the OPAL Play Project. The OPAL Primary Programme is what OPAL is all about. It is a mentor supported school improvement programme. It addresses all of the areas schools must plan for if they want to sustainably improve the quality of play.

During the programme OPAL will work with your school over an 18 month period to support an entire cultural and practical transformation of the way that play is thought about, planned for, resourced and staffed. If you would like to find out more about this project then visit http://outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk

Our school council and the children at Longvernal have agreed our Longvernal Play Charter.