Our OPAL Play Journey
At St. Anselm’s, we are proud to be working towards our OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) accreditation as part of our ongoing commitment to improving children’s wellbeing, creativity and social development. This year, we’ve made significant progress by introducing a range of exciting new outdoor play zones—from a mud kitchen and sand pit to a music area and obstacle course—which have already had a noticeable impact on lunchtime engagement and enjoyment. With our final OPAL assessment visit scheduled for September 2025, we are continuing to enhance our provision and embed a rich, inclusive play culture across the school.
The Power of Playtime – OPAL at St Anselm’s
At St Anselm’s, we believe that play is a vital part of every child’s development – building creativity, resilience, friendships and wellbeing. That’s why we are proud to be part of the Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) programme, which helps schools transform playtimes into rich, purposeful learning experiences.
We encourage all parents to take a look at the “Power of Playtime” pack, which explains why play is so important and how our OPAL approach supports your child’s development. By working together, we can ensure that every playtime is filled with fun, imagination and opportunities to grow.
OPAL Site Map St Anselm's
OPAL Parent Information Session and Stay and Play
We were delighted to welcome our OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) representative for an informative parent session, where the core aims of the OPAL approach were shared. The session highlighted how high-quality outdoor play supports children’s physical health, wellbeing, creativity, and social development. Following the talk, parents joined their children in exploring our outdoor spaces and taking part in a variety of play activities together.
The event was very well attended, and the feedback from families was overwhelmingly positive. Thank you to everyone who took part—we look forward to welcoming families to future ‘stay and play’ afternoons.
