We started our OPAL journey in September 2023 and our journey with it has been amazing! OPAL has completely transformed our playtimes and play is now an integral part of the school day. Research shows that playtime takes up more than 20% of a child’s time at school!
In 2025 we were awarded the OPAL Platinum award! The platinum award is a very prestigious award, being the highest possible award, an OPAL practising school can receive!
What we want for our Children
At Lickey End First School, we believe that our children deserve the highest quality of play. Play has been long recognised as fundamental to a child’s health, happiness, development and well-being. Our Vision is consistent with the OPAL vision: “that every child has an amazing hour of high-quality play”. This allows our children to rapidly develop creativity, imagination, cooperation, resilience, stamina and confidence.
Here are some of the benefits:
- Mental well-being: Research shows that OPAL children are happier, even reporting improved mental health
- Physical Activity: All children are significantly more active and involved in play
- Social and emotional development: High quality play gives children of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to mix. Creating new friendships, developing both their social and emotional skills
- Self-regulation: Children in OPAL schools learn to self-regulate through practice, trust and freedom
- Links to learning: Many OPAL schools report an increase in creativity, imagination and collaborative skills
- Accidents and risks: OPAL schools have up to 80% less reported accidents and a child’s ability to identify and manage risk improves significantly
- Behaviour: There is a dramatic decrease in behaviour reports due to the children being happier and busier. Happy children don’t cause nearly as much trouble as bored children
- Attendance: Children can’t wait to come to school because OPAL schools are much more fun
- Staff well-being: Supervising happier children leads to happier staff
- Teaching: Teaching standards improve, as less time is spent resolving conflicts and after an hour of play children are ready to learn
- Parents: We all want our children to be happy in school! A place where children can have more freedom to enjoy themselves will be detrimental to this
Donations
Many of our resources are donated by kind parents and members of the public. This helps us to make our play as sustainable as possible. We are always on the lookout for loose part including buggies, pans, traffic cones, fancy dress clothes, guttering or piping. Please contact the school office or speak to your child’s class teacher if you have anything you could offer.