OPAL Play Assistant

Our Lady of Compassion Catholic School, part of Our Lady and All Saints MAC, is seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and committed OPAL Play Leader to join our dedicated and vibrant team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about children's play, wellbeing and development. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the development of our Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) provision, ensuring that all children experience high-quality, engaging and inclusive play opportunities during lunchtimes.

We are looking for a professional, energetic and creative individual who is committed to making lunchtimes a positive, enriching part of the school day and who is keen to work collaboratively with a supportive and hardworking staff team. If you are committed to making a real difference in children's lives, embodying Catholic values, and fostering a love for learning, we are keen to hear from you.

The successful applicant will:

• Be committed to the values and Catholic ethos of the school
• Have experience of working with children in a school, childcare or play setting
• Be enthusiastic, creative and committed to delivering high-quality play opportunities
• Build positive relationships with children and respond sensitively to their needs
• Be able to support other lunchtime staff in developing effective play provision
• Have a good understanding of behaviour management and promoting positive relationships
• Be able to work on their own initiative and demonstrate strong organisational skills
• Be reflective, flexible and solution‑focused
• Bring energy, vision and innovation to the development of outdoor play
• Uphold and implement the school’s behaviour, safeguarding and health & safety policies
• Support the wellbeing, safety and inclusion of all pupils at all times

Key aspects of the role include:

• Supporting the development of our OPAL play provision
• Supporting lunchtime staff to deliver high-quality play
• Ensuring a wide range of engaging play opportunities are available
• Managing and maintaining play resources
• Supporting pupil leadership and pupil voice in play development
• Ensuring pupils are safe, happy and engaged during lunchtimes

For further information regarding this post, please contact the school office on 0121 706 9508 or email office@olc.solihull.sch.uk. You can find out more about our school at: https://www.olc.solihull.sch.uk/

Our Lady of Compassion School, part of Our Lady and All Saints Multi Academy Company, has a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups. All employees and volunteers are expected to share this commitment and to obtain an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) and where relevant, a childcare disqualification check. Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks including two suitable references, evidence of Right to Work, Medical Clearance and where applicable a prohibition check and evidence of qualifications. All successful candidates will be required to present their birth certificate along with evidence of any name changes.

This post is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Further information can be found in the DBS filtering guide. This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016). Therefore, the ability to speak fluent and spoken English is an essential requirement for this role. An online search will also be carried out as part of due diligence on all short-listed candidates. We reserve the right to close the online vacancy when we are in receipt of sufficient applications. Therefore, should you wish to apply for this post you are advised to complete and submit your application form as soon as possible.

Closing Date: 19th June 2026

Interview Date: 24th June 2026

*Please note the MAC reserves the right to change this date.