Barrington Primary School has been awarded a prestigious Gold Standard Quality Mark for Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL).
The school, located in Bexley, has been working with OPAL for two years to improve break/lunchtimes, making them more active and engaging for their pupils.
OPAL is a mentor-supported school improvement programme. It sets out 18 areas that a school should plan for, to help improve the quality of play for all pupils in a sustainable way.
Barrington has improved play time in several ways, including the redesign of its outside play area. Zones have been created to provide activities that are linked to different areas of interest. For example – there is now a bike and scooter zone, a giant mud kitchen, a whiteboard for pupils to draw on, Lego and a dressing up area with suitcases full of outfits.
Barrington scored an amazing 88%. Its OPAL mentor was highly impressed with the level of engagement amongst Barrington’s pupils, as well as the high level of inclusivity.
Claire Clark, Headteacher at Barrington Primary School, said:
“We are delighted to be awarded this accreditation, recognising our commitment to outdoor play and learning.
“We wanted to create opportunities for our pupils to be active during lunch and break time, providing a range of resources for them to access.
“Building on this work, we have also run successful 'stay and play' events where parents come along to enjoy our outdoor areas themselves. As a result of this, parents have donated a wide range of items from home, as they can see how this has benefited our pupils.
“Our student council (Article 12 committee) presented their thoughts to both parents and governors and our young people are clear that they love playtimes at Barrington now!”
For more information about the OPAL programme visit: https://outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk/the-opal-primary-programme/
