OPAL Mentor


Primary School Play Advisor accredited by OPAL.


OPAL Outdoor Play and Learning is a researched and evaluated play development programme and expert design service that supports excellence in play. 

Primary schools benefit from a set of meetings and resources supported by an expert mentor delivered over 12 - 24 months. OPAL supports better; policy, planning, risk management, staffing, design, grounds, equipment and resources. 

Typical results in hundreds of 'OPAL' schools
> 10 mins more teaching time per teacher per day
> 80% drop in use of behaviour policies 
> 70% greater use of school grounds
> 100% happier, enriched playtimes 

Sadly the word 'play' is often dismissed as folly despite its centrality to learning and development. The Early Years Foundation Stage utilises the power of play in its curriculum. The play drop off in Primary Education is arbitrary. The necessary conditions for play to flourish are diminishing across society as a whole. Creating quality playtime's is an ideal opportunity for schools to address this deficit in childhood – ‘Breaktime’ is 20% of what a primary school does and improving it gleans whole school benefits in behaviour, emotional well-being, engagement and inclusion.

OPAL will help you and your team create lasting improvements across the whole school community. It is the only play development programme created by a Local Authority School Improvement Service and has been independently evaluated by two universities. OPAL provides quantifiable data that can be used as school improvement evidence for governors, parents or Ofsted. For more about the OPAL Primary Programme please refer to the website

Book a free introductory meeting
email - opal.tomburgess@gmail.com