We’re proud to be an OPAL platinum school.

Children spend 7 years at our school, 1.4 of those years is at playtime! Being an OPAL school allows us to strategically and sustainably improve the quality of our play offer. It embeds play into our school policies and practices and establishes clear, guiding principles for initiating lasting changes at playtime. We can see an increase in their play literacy, resilience and collaboration.

Power Of Playtime Guidance

OPAL Lunchtime Provision

Richard Bonington Primary School OPAL Play Policy

What do we need?

We are always collecting loose parts for children to play with. The items we are looking for will enable us to enjoy a wider range of play experiences during playtime (see below for some examples):

  • Suitcases of any size and type
  • Anything on wheels/castors
  • Plastic milk crates/supermarket delivery crates/plastic bread trays
  • Briefcases, especially hard cased ones
  • Road signs and cones
  • Kitchen pots, pans, baking trays, work tables, wooden spoons, chopping boards
  • Tools like small spades/shovels, trowels and brooms
  • Tubes of various sizes and various materials
  • Buckets
  • Nets and thick ropes
  • Keyboards/torches/laptops/calculators/mobile phones/desk phones/webcams/cameras that are no longer working
  • Fabric (large sheets/brightly coloured fabric)
  • Foam sheets/bodyboards/camping roll mats/yoga mats
  • Wooden pallets
  • Metal frames
  • Cable drums
  • Guttering
  • Noodles (the type you use in the swimming pool!)
  • Hats/scarves/jazzy shirts/elasticated skirts/waistcoats/wedding dresses/character costumes
  • Pegs (to help to set up dens)

If you are able to, or you know anyone who can, donate a large number of plastic boxes/crates/pallets, please contact the school office.

Thank you for your continued support with our OPAL Primary Programme. We look forward to sharing more of what we have been getting up to at playtimes very soon.