We are so pleased to announce we have been awarded £245,600 of National Lottery funding by Sport England to improve the quality of active play in primary schools. Thanks to everyone who plays National Lottery games for your support! #NationalLottery

OPAL has been awarded just under a quarter of a million pounds to support the work of Sport England in getting more children, more active more of the time.

Currently, UK school children spend 1.4 years of their school lives at play but schools have very little information on how to make the best use of this time. Supervision of playtimes in UK schools costs the taxpayer £750,000,000 a year.

OPAL will work with primary schools to make sure this is money well spent and the workforce is properly trained and supported.

The OPAL Primary Programme has helped to support half a million UK primary school children have hugely improved playtimes so far.

This money will help reach an additional 46,000 children a year.

OPAL is delighted to be working with Sport England as the principle organisation supporting better school play opportunities.

The decision firmly puts access to play alongside access to sport as an essential element of healthy active lifestyles.

The inclusion of play in Sport England's national strategy is also reflected in shifts in government policy. On November 1st last year the Department of Education changed the guidance to schools about how they could spend the Sports and PE premium.

Better and more active play is now one of the top priorities for how schools should spend the funding.

OPAL look forward to working with Sport England, and many more schools, carers and parents to ensure all children have a childhood filled with fun, active outdoor play.