Esh Winning Primary School

Case study: Esh Winning Primary School, Durham

“Providing a rich play environment allows the children to develop skills and evaluate their own risks. Our playground is a hive of activity which aids the wellbeing of our children.” 

Prior to OPAL, play was very different at Esh Winning Primary. Each key stage had their own part of the playground and children could not mix with different age groups. There was also a ruling at one point (prior to my time!), where children were not “allowed” to run outside due to the number of collisions that were occurring. 

Now, there are no restrictions within our school grounds. Each child can freely choose where they want to play and who they play with. We have created an enriched environment where the children are the driving force behind every decision. We have recently introduced “Feel Good Fridays” where we bring a huge speaker outside for the children to dance to music which, now, is a firm favourite. Our wooded area is also very popular.

OPAL has helped our children to build their confidence and develop their resilience. 

Every child now enjoys active playtimes, and all children have many opportunities to build friendships with different age groups. Providing a rich play environment allows the children to develop skills and evaluate their own risks. Our playground is a hive of activity which aids the wellbeing of our children. 

The children now have space and equipment to play with which keeps them engaged throughout the whole of lunchtime/playtime. This has resulted in a change of behavior prior to OPAL.

Teaching staff have commented that the children are more focused and readier to learn after play which benefits everyone. Our play team is now able to play and engage with the children rather than having to “police” the playground as the children’s behaviours are now focused on play rather than disruption.

Our play offer is inclusive – all of our children look forward to break times and lunchtimes. 

Our OPAL working group regularly meets to discuss each aspect of play we provide for the children, ensuring our play environment is inclusive to all. The children can fill in our OPAL suggestions slips which allows them to suggest items or equipment they would like to have in the playground. Our school council members collect and discuss these suggestions with our play leader on a weekly basis. 

Providing an environment where each child can have free choice has built their confidence. One specific child does not like noise or crowds within school. They tend to shy away from other children. The first day we introduced boom box Friday this said child was on the field, singing and dancing with all the other children. They led a conga line through the playground. The confidence this child had shown was unbelievable. 

We are very fortunate to have parents that support us with OPAL. 

Our parents understand why we facilitate the play process and what benefits it has for their children. We invite parents/carers to come to family learning days where they can see what our playtimes entail at Esh Winning Primary. 

We are now at a stage where our parents/carers understand their child may come home dirty, but they understand how much enjoyment their child is having at school. It is fantastic to hear parents/carers talking about their children being involved in OPAL and being able to assess their own risks! 

We have seen a decline in accidents and incidents at playtimes.

Before OPAL was introduced the children had limited space which led to many bumps and disagreements. Now they can access all our grounds, each zone does not get overcrowded which has led to a decline in accidents. It is a playground, so accidents are going to happen, but since OPAL was introduced there has definitely been a decline in how many accidents occur.

Playtimes and lunchtimes used to be a source of anxiety, where children and staff were on high alert for negative engagements. However, there has been positive feedback from our teaching staff about how our outdoor times are more relaxed and enjoyable. Our lunchtime play team is fully on board with our OPAL play. They enjoy lunchtimes as much as the children do. 

OPAL has transformed our whole school. 

We would recommend the OPAL programme to other schools that are wanting to ensure all children get access to good quality play. It does have its challenges, but the impact has been phenomenal. Take it a step at a time and don’t expect everything to happen overnight. Eventually it will all come together. 

Caroline Hodgson, Headteacher, Esh Winning Primary School