Our Vision
'At OPAL we have seen just how much of an impact improving play can make to a school. We are not just talking about playtimes being a bit less bother or about children being a bit happier. We are talking about cultural transformation.
When you address a need that is so fundamental to children's physical and mental well-being as play, and you do it well, it is impossible to think of how you ran a school and didn’t do this.
Our vision is that every child in every school has an amazing hour of high-quality play every day – with no exceptions. If one child is not enjoying playtimes, then things still need improving.
We want every school to plan for, resource and evaluate the quality of their play provision as if it were an important human right, essential to all aspects of children’s development and a source of joy and happiness that every child can access because it is all of these things.
To help make this vision come true, we are sponsoring new qualifications at levels two and three for awards, certificates and diplomas in 'Playwork in Schools'; we sponsor the annual National Playworkers Conference, the play charity Project Play and commission policy research supporting the goal that every school should have a 'Plan for Play'.
When you sign up for the OPAL Primary Programme, you are starting a process that should change your school and your children’s lives forever.