Here at St. Mary's we provide the highest possible quality of education, underpinned by our Christian ethos and values however we pride ourselves in the fact that we are mixed faith with a rising number of multi faiths through our school
We are very proud of our playtimes at St. Mary's and we are delighted with the community support to develop our spaces. Take a look at our films showing how our community have developed our play spaces.
We believe passionatley in the power of play and that time spent during lunchtime has a powerful impact on our childrens learning.
Play makes up 20% of school life. At St. Mary's we use OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning Programme) to drive the quality of our provison
St. Mary's aims to become a beacon of excellent play as we firmly believe good play promotes children's emotional, social and academic development. Our children are encouraged to use all of our school grounds at playtime, mixing together across the year groups and enjoying a huge range of play experiences including:
We are part of the award-winning OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) Primary Programme, which helps schools to improve children’s play experiences. We are delighted to have been awarded our status in the summer of 2025. This puts us in the top 1% of schools in the country for the quality of our play provision.
As children in UK primary schools spend as much time out at play as they do in English or Maths lessons, we feel it is important that they have access to high-quality provision, just as they do within class.
As part of the programme we have introduced:
Research has shown that children in OPAL schools make deeper friendships, concentrate and behave better in class, and have less time off sick. Finally, most importantly, they are happier.
When children aren’t allowed out to play they tend to be less able to concentrate, which impacts on their learning. As a result, at St. Mary’s, children will play outside in all weather conditions, with the exception of during thunder storms and high winds when playtime may be adjusted or brought indoors.
To make sure children play outdoors every day they need to be warm, dry and comfortable, with the right clothing for all kinds of weather.
If you need support with providing any of the above, please speak to us. We have spare clothing and can help you to source what you need.