At SCIPS, OPAL is not just a programme; it’s a way of life.
They take immense pride in being the trailblazers as the inaugural OPAL school in Asia. With over 600 pupils on roll, they are blessed with lots of green space with a small amount of tarmac.
They nurture well-rounded, resilient, and passionate individuals by embracing outdoor play and learning every day. They are committed to making OPAL an integral part of the school community.
They have experienced remarkable benefits from implementing the OPAL programme. Play is always evolving… They currently have 6 kayaks on site, and the children build their own roller coaster rides from them. The school has built a stream so the children can take their shoes and socks off, and they have a large flat area for wheeled play. They have den building, mud areas, painting, and tinkering zones. The students love to play at SCIPS.
What were the main issues you were facing at playtime?
Post strict COVID-19 lockdowns in Malaysia, our children returned to school, forgetting how to play and socialise with each other. They either sat down, played tag or did handstands and almost nothing else. We were concerned for their well-being, so we looked for ways we could improve this.
Why did you get OPAL to work with your school?
OPAL has a simple but revolutionary approach; instead of focusing on what happens in the classroom, it focuses on playtimes. OPAL has a proven track record and has won accolades for their work – they clearly understood play. When I travelled to England to see another school who were already 18 months into their OPAL journey, it just made sense – you just couldn’t understand why all playtimes have not always been this way!
What measures had you tried already?
We had already tried some wellbeing measures whilst Covid was happening, including using the colour monster and RULER method to support children discussing their emotions.
What did OPAL help with that you couldn’t do yourselves?
Some people believe that when they see OPAL at work that they can ‘Do it themselves.’ What they don’t realise is that there is such a robust structure behind what you see that it just looks simple on the surface. Because the risk procedure is so thorough, I felt more confident in allowing children to have ‘risky’ play, knowing what we have done first to allow that to happen. The mentoring journey with OPAL is also essential, as the advice given along the way helps develop your play even further.
How did the programme impact pupils’ physical, social, emotional, mental, and cognitive development?
We now see hugely creative play happening with children of all ages and genders playing together. Our playtimes look totally different, and it also had a great impact on our SEND children in helping them to integrate. Our children speak often about their love for play, and it has become a KPI for our school. The children have become much better at becoming resilient and not complaining about small bumps/bruises, and their imagination has greatly improved.
How did the programme meet the needs of all your children, in particular pupils with SEND?
Our SEND children suddenly had other options of what to do; they could choose the quieter spaces or the more physical play. As there were more options, they could choose what suited them better and, because of that, had better relationships with others in those spaces. Our hyperactive boys, for example, love den building and weapon play – but they get into fewer altercations as there are rules and discussions on how children want to play.
How did the programme impact attendance?
No change for us.
How did the programme impact communication, vocabulary, and imagination?
Our experience with our children in Asia is that they were not very creative in their play. They traditionally are not encouraged to play outdoors as much, and parents are very concerned about them getting hurt. Through OPAL, their play has become vastly different, and now we are seeing sustained play over multiple days where they have made up creative scenarios themselves and returned to them; this is not something we had ever witnessed prior.
How did the school secure funding and resources?
We paid for it ourselves, but reached out to parents and the community to help provide loose parts.
What partnerships proved most valuable?
Our partnerships with the parents.
What was the impact on parents and wider community members?
Our parents, though hesitant at first, now love and see the value of play. They are proud of our play provision and talk about the importance of play. We are seeing more parents allow risky play, and although we thought we would have a lot of resistance, especially to the wet weather, we actually have not. In the wider community, we are now seeing other schools discuss the importance of play, too.
Click here to view the SCIPS: A Journey of Amazing Play 2023
Click here to view the SCIPS International Day of Play 2024 celebration
Click here to view the SCIPS Official OPAL video