Next steps
Next Steps – OPAL Membership
OPAL Membership is a package of services and benefits for OPAL schools to sustain high-quality play, provide training and staff support and provide an easy path to annual re-accreditation.
You will have benefited from two years of free OPAL membership as part of the OPAL Primary Programme. This will expire around the time you graduate from the OPAL Primary Programme.
OPAL Membership will help your school to:
- Maintain and continuously improve the quality of play for all of your children.
- Ensure all staff have access to up-to-date training in risk management and playwork theory
- Be part of a supportive and informative network of OPAL schools
- Ensure the informed transition of OPAL key roles
Benefits of OPAL Membership
To help your school maintain and improve the standard you have reached, OPAL membership offers the following.
- Free access to OPAL College recorded induction courses for new heads, play coordinators, curricular leads for play, play team members and RAPID risk training.
- Free access to regional support meetings at Platinum schools.
- Free access to the OPAL working group access to the OPAL online Slack community offering questions and answers and discussion forums.
- Free access to regular 'Tea with OPAL' online support sessions
- Free access to the annually updated OPAL ePack.
- Free access to the members learning platform past presentations and conference sessions.
- Free access to the OPAL school's version of the OPAL newsletter.
- Free entitlement to five copies of Playwork Essentials.
- Paid access to OPAL College live seminar sessions for new headteachers, curricular leads, play coordinators and play team members.
- Paid access to OPAL College specialist training sessions with guest speakers on issues ranging from rope swings to supporting special needs in mainstream playgrounds.
Cost of membership per year: Before Jan 1st 2024 - £150, after Jan 1st 2024 £250
Your award status lasts for two years. If you wish to continue displaying and promoting your OPAL status after this, you must reaccredit. After 18 months, you should submit a RAG rating to your mentor, and they will agree on the level of support needed to reaccredit.
Cost of basic reaccreditation £500
OPAL Honours
Schools which maintain Platinum status for three consecutive awards will join our OPAL Honours group. OPAL will promote these schools as national exemplars of outstanding practice.
