OUR WONDERFUL OUTDOOR SCHOOL AREA

"Inspire, Aspire, Transform"

What  is  Outdoor learning?

It is an active way of learning through hands on experiences in an outdoor natural environment. It is a child led process which encourages learners to use their imagination and creativity.

Our  Ethos …

Our outdoor school area is a supportive and encouraging environment in a natural woodland setting where children are able to explore freely. We recognise and value the individual child’s set of skills and interests and through a wide variety of fun experiences, which encourage resilience and perseverance, children gain a feeling of achievement, pride and confidence in themselves.

While outside  we believe in showing children the importance of our natural spaces. We aim to inspire respect and love for the natural environment which will foster in them a desire to enjoy it, maintain and preserve it, both now and in the future. We also look at the changing seasons and how habitats and nature changes around us throughout the differing seasons. 

The Benefits of learning outside …

A great deal of research has found that outdoor learning improves self esteem, confidence and resilience in its learners. It improves our sense of self, and how our behaviour impacts on others and our environment. It also develops problem solving and decision making skills and has a variety of physical benefits.

What Do You Need? 

We believe that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing and we do go out to our sessions in all weathers. So if your child is attending the outdoor school area, please send them with a change of clothes. We may get very dirty, so old clothes are better.

Cold Weather:

• Sensible footwear – boots or wellies.
• Pair of thick warm socks.
• Warm clothing – several light layers are better.
• Hat, gloves and scarf.
• A warm coat, waterproof is preferable.
• School provides a pair of waterproof dungarees as an outer layer.

Hot Weather:

• A light long sleeved top (avoids sunburn and stings)
• Light long trousers (avoids sunburn and stings)
• Sun hat.
• Sensible footwear – boots, wellies, or sturdy trainers.
• A warm layer – just in case!

How do we stay safe?

 Safety is our upmost priority. Sessions are run in with two members of staff who are first aid trained. Sometimes we can use hand tools and have small fires. These activities are risk assessed and closely supervised. We encourage children to take measured risks, appropriate to the environment and themselves. By learning to assess risk as a child we are able to develop the skills needed to make safe decisions and an awareness of our own capabilities.