Outdoor Learning
Outdoor Learning March 2021 action plan update summary.
With all students coming back to school on the 8 th of March 2021, we will be looking to
continue to develop and embed outdoor learning throughout the school. We will be making
clear curriculum links to Geography and Science, learning about the world around us and
how we impact upon it. As well as using the outdoor spaces in our school to help support
the mental health and wellbeing of all our students. In order to develop we will be moving
forward with following action points:
1. Find and collect resources to support the outdoor learning within the curriculum
areas. Initially focussing on Geography and Science.
2. Work with the PTA to make our wildlife area suitable for learning (this will be
depended on the easing of lockdown restrictions).
3. Ensure that all children experience outdoor learning at least once a week.
Intent:
At Red Oak Primary School, we believe that all children should have a strong understanding of the world around them. We are very fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful natural areas, both on our school’s grounds and within the local area. Children spend up to 7 hours of the day within school, which is the majority of the waking day for our children. We want our children to not only use the outdoor areas as a resource to boost our already creative curriculum, but to also learn about the outside world. How to care for it, why it is important to look after it and how we can encourage life to thrive in our outdoor areas.
Outdoor Learning is a broad term that includes: outdoor play, school grounds projects, environmental education, recreational and adventure activities, and personal and social development. Outdoor learning can provide a dramatic contrast to the indoor classroom. There is strong evidence that good quality learning outside the classroom adds much value to classroom learning. The outdoors can be used as a resource to deepen our understanding and boost our already amazing curriculum.
Direct experience outdoors is powerful, motivating and has impact and credibility. The results from outdoor learning can be immediate as well as active. Through skilled teaching, outdoor experiences readily become a stimulating source of fascination, personal growth and can lead to breakthroughs in learning. Active learning readily develops the learning skills of enquiry, experiment, feedback, reflection, review, communication, problem solving, an enterprising attitude and co-operative learning. Outdoor Learning can help to bring learning alive. Outdoor learning also provides experiential opportunities allowing pupils to respond positively to opportunities, challenges and responsibilities, to manage risk and to cope with change.
Implementation:
Outdoor learning will be taught across the school. All classes will use the outdoor areas of our school and the surrounding area as a resource to support our lessons. Using the locations to deepen our understanding and offer real world and practical implications for our learning. In addition to this, the outdoor areas will be used to host lessons, where the children will learn how to protect, preserve and nourish our outdoor spaces. This can be anything from growing plants, to encouraging wildlife into our areas through the use of bug hotels and bird boxes.
Impact:
Benefits of Outdoor Learning:
• Outdoor learning helps to ensure that children are successful learners enabling children to
develop knowledge and skills in ways that add value to their everyday learning experiences.
• Outdoor learning enables children to be confident individuals and impacts positively upon
young children’s attitudes beliefs and self-perceptions.
• Outdoor learning contributes towards creating independent learners with high self-esteem and self-sufficiency.
• Outdoor learning can have a positive impact upon children’s behaviour.
• Outdoor learning contributes towards the promotion and children’s understanding of the
importance of developing a Healthy lifestyle.
• Outdoor learning has a positive impact upon children’s personal and social development. It
can also bring about community cohesion and allow children to develop as responsible
citizens who make a positive contribution to their wider community. It can create pride in
the school and wider community and promote community involvement, renewing children’s
pride and creating a sense of belonging and responsibility.
• It raises learners’ attainment, promotes and strengthens communication skills, team work
and sense of cohesion.
• There is clear evidence that boys in particular are more active in their learning in an outdoor
environment.
Please double click to open the Outdoor Learning Calendar PDF which has clickable months that will take you to activities for each month: