OPAL

We are an OPAL Platinum School!

We are delighted to share that St Thomas More Catholic Primary School has achieved the OPAL Platinum Award — the highest level of recognition for outdoor play and learning.

This is a fantastic achievement for our whole school community and reflects the commitment, creativity and teamwork of our children, staff, parents, governors and wider community. Our OPAL journey has transformed playtimes, giving children richer opportunities to explore, imagine, collaborate, take appropriate risks and enjoy high-quality outdoor play every day.

We are incredibly proud to share that:

• We are the first school in Berkhamsted to receive an OPAL award and the first to achieve Platinum.

• We are officially the 6th school in Hertfordshire to reach Platinum status out of the 34 schools currently enrolled.

• Nationally, we are now within the top 1% of schools to hold the Platinum award.

What is OPAL?

OPAL stands for Outdoor Play and Learning. The OPAL Primary Programme is a mentor-supported school improvement programme which helps schools improve the quality of play for every child. It supports schools to develop their outdoor spaces, resources, risk management, staff understanding and whole-school culture around play.

OPAL’s vision is that every child should have an amazing hour of high-quality play every day, with no exceptions.

Why play matters

At St Thomas More, we believe play is a vital part of childhood. Through high-quality play, children develop confidence, independence, resilience, creativity and social skills. OPAL helps children to learn things that cannot always be taught in the classroom: how to negotiate, cooperate, problem-solve, manage risk, build friendships and use their imagination.

Research shared by OPAL highlights that high-quality play can support children’s physical activity, mental wellbeing, self-regulation, social and emotional development, creativity and enjoyment of school.

OPAL at St Thomas More

Through our OPAL journey, we have worked hard to develop a play offer that is inclusive, exciting and child-led. Children now have access to a wider range of play opportunities, including imaginative play, loose parts, sand, mud, den building, small world play, creative areas and active games.

Our outdoor spaces continue to evolve so that children can make choices, follow their interests and experience joyful, meaningful play every day.

A whole-school achievement

Achieving OPAL Platinum has been a true community effort. Staff have embraced new approaches to supporting play, children have contributed their ideas and enthusiasm, and families have supported us with resources, time and encouragement.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who has helped us on this journey. This award recognises not only what we have achieved so far, but also our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every child at St Thomas More has access to rich, inclusive and high-quality play.

Continuing our OPAL journey

Although we are very proud to have achieved Platinum, our OPAL journey does not stop here. We will continue to develop our outdoor provision, listen to pupil voice and ensure that play remains a valued and protected part of every child’s school day.

We are proud to be an OPAL Platinum School and look forward to continuing to build better play together.