Statement of Intent for Outdoor Learning

At Kingsley School we are incredibly lucky to have a lovely forest and garden area where we run regular outdoor lessons for children throughout the school. These regular sessions will increase children’s life skills and experiences throughout their primary school years.

Below are just some of the areas developed when working outdoors

• Self-esteem & self belief
• Improve social skills
• Assist in peer relationship building
• Assist language & communication skills
• Provide cross-curriculum learning opportunities
• Provide the connection between theory and “the real world”
• Provide a more natural environment (classroom without walls)
• Promote independence
• Promote team working
• Enable the learning of new skills
• Enhance fine motor skills
• Improve Mental health and wellbeing
• Enable children to develop a respect for, and appreciation of the natural environment and wildlife.

These areas will be covered with a variety of outdoor learning opportunities that not only seek to aid the children in their learning but also provide positive, enjoyable, creative experiences. These experiences often link to classroom work but also allow them to transfer the skills and knowledge from their outdoor lessons into the classroom and life outside of school.

Implementation

Outdoor learning is planned to enrich and enhance the children’s in-school learning experiences.

Children from Nursery to Year 1 visit the forest or garden on a weekly basis throughout the year, experiencing the seasonal change in these areas and taking part in lessons often linked to the seasons and the changes taking place around them.

Children in Year 2 will spend a term coming out on a weekly basis linked to their Science topic and Key Stage 2 children will spend a half term each year working in the forest linked to their curriculum topics.

Key Stage 2 pupils are offered the opportunity to join Forest School after school club. Forest School provides a more holistic way of learning. Due to its child led nature and focus on social development, Forest School engages children in a manner that is hard to imitate in the classroom. This creates new opportunities for learning and development that might not be accessed during regular day-to-day schooling. As a part of Forest School after school club, Key Stage 2 children will also be given a chance to develop skills such as building and lighting fires, using tools such as saws and loppers, building dens, making up games and working to improve and develop our forest area.

Key Stage 2 children also have the opportunity to join Eco Club, which helps to develop strategies to improve the environmental awareness and sustainability of the school and local community. At this club, children will take part in bird counts, scientific surveys, litter picks, bulb planting and seed sowing, planting and taking care of the garden and school grounds as well as promoting green issues, recycling and sustainable lifestyles throughout the school.

Impact

By the time children leave our school they will:

• Have enjoyed hands on experiences learning outdoors which will add to their understanding and learning of a wide variety of curriculum areas
• Have developed their imagination and creativity through exploration of the outdoors
• Have developed resilience through challenging activities and working in all weathers
• Have developed co-operation skills through team work
• Have an understanding of nature, the world around us and grown plants and vegetables
• Have contributed to the development of our forest and school grounds and looked after their environment
• Begun to have an appreciation of the natural world and understand how we need to look after and protect it