At St Mary’s and St Michael’s Catholic Primary School, the journey towards Positive Playtimes has already begun to make a meaningful difference to the children’s daily experience of school life.
Like many schools, St Mary’s and St Michael’s were navigating the lasting impact of pandemic routines. Playtimes had become shorter and more restricted, with children spending much of their break time indoors. This meant fewer opportunities for active play, social connection, and the joyful interactions that are such an important part of childhood.
Recognising the importance of play for wellbeing, behaviour, and belonging, the school began implementing the Positive Playtimes Award Programme in April 2025 to help transform the playground experience for both children and staff.
Creating a More Purposeful Playground
Over the past six months, the school has taken thoughtful steps to create a more balanced and structured play environment.
The playground has been zoned into different areas, allowing a wider variety of activities and ensuring that different types of play can occur simultaneously. Craze of the Week and Game of the Week are popular and have led to more active playtime for the children. Football, which previously dominated the playground, now has its own dedicated zone, allowing other children the space to enjoy different games and social play.
Another important part of the Positive Playtimes approach is empowering children to take an active role in play leadership. At St Mary’s and St Michael’s, the Playground PALS now have a clear timetable and are doing a fantastic job of initiating games and encouraging children to join in. This has helped create a more inclusive playground where everyone feels welcome to take part.
A Highlight of the Week: Disco Friday
One of the biggest successes has been the introduction of “Disco Friday”, which has quickly become a favourite for both children and staff.
It provides a fun, energetic way to end the week, bringing the whole playground together through music, movement, and shared enjoyment. Initiatives like this help strengthen the sense of community across the school while ensuring playtimes remain exciting and engaging.
The Impact So Far
The changes have created a noticeable shift in the playground’s atmosphere.
Longer playtimes, clearer organisation, and more opportunities for active play have contributed to a calmer and happier environment where children can connect, move, and enjoy being together.
From the School
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
“Our Positive Playtime journey is underway. Before we started Positive Playtimes, we were still following old COVID rules, which meant children only had half an hour of playtime inside. This made it harder for them to be active and play freely with their friends.
In the last six months of running Positive Playtimes, we’ve zoned the playground and restricted football to only one zone. Our greatest success is ‘Disco Friday’. This is loved by children and staff alike and is a great way to end the week.
Our playground PALS now have a clear timetable, and they are doing a great job of initiating game playing with the children. Lunchtime staff have reported an improvement in the playground atmosphere.
We’ve seen a big difference with longer playtimes and a more structured playground. The children are happier, more active, and enjoy playing together much more.”
Isabel Hamilton and Billy Green
St Mary and St Michael Catholic Primary School
Looking Ahead
St Mary’s and St Michael’s have already achieved so much on their Positive Playtimes journey, and their commitment to creating a more joyful, active, and inclusive playground environment is something to celebrate.
As a Positive Playtimes Hall of Fame School, they are a wonderful example of how small, thoughtful changes can have a big impact on children’s wellbeing and school culture.
We look forward to seeing their Positive Playtimes journey continue to grow in the months and years ahead.
