OPAL – Plan for Play

26th June 2026R Cave

To parents and carers,

As you know, your child is fortunate enough to attend an OPAL school; a school who take play seriously.

Outdoor play is essential for children’s health, development and wellbeing, but has almost disappeared from their lives.

Schools are well placed to address this. But even though playtime makes up 20% of every primary school child’s day, very few schools have a plan for play. Without a strategic plan, this time is wasted and often leads to problems.

Evidence from more than 2,000 OPAL schools shows that having a plan for play transforms behaviour, equality, wellbeing and learning.

OPAL believe that every primary school needs a plan for play.

We are reaching out to you, parents of children who thrive by accessing high-quality play daily, to support OPAL’s (Outdoor Play and Learning) Plan for Play campaign.

“We call on the Government to require every primary school in England to publish a plan for outdoor free play at breaktimes and lunchtime, and for the Department for Education to produce statutory guidance defining what quality provision looks like, with Ofsted required to inspect against it.”

As a fellow organisation who recognise and value the need for play within our local communities, please support this campaign by asking colleagues and visitors to sign the petition to ensure all primary schools are required to demonstrate how they provide quality outdoor free play for every child.