OPAL
Crown Lane believes that all children need opportunities to play that allow them to explore, manipulate, experience and affect their environment. We believe play provision should be welcoming and accessible to every child, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, economic or social circumstances, ethnic or cultural background or origin, or individual abilities.
The OPAL Primary Programme rationale is that “… better, more active and creative playtimes can mean happier and healthier children, and having happier, healthier, more active children usually results in a more positive attitude to learning in school, with more effective classroom lessons, less staff time spent resolving unnecessary behavioural problems, fewer playtime accidents, happier staff and a healthier attitude to life.”
Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) is a community interest company (CIC) dedicated to providing services to schools and organisations in England and Wales to improve the quality of play opportunities for all children. Crown Lane is working with OPAL to transform our playtimes (both break and lunch), improving the environment and culture of play. Children have and experience an increasingly wide variety of activities which caters for a wide variety of interests.
It is essential pupils come to school ready for daily OPAL play. Children need a coat (as we go out in the rain!) and welly boots in the winter or if they like the mud kitchen!
The school needs donations, lots of donations! We use what we call ‘loose parts’ during OPAL. You can donate items to the front office.
