Outdoor Education

What is LOtC?

Learning outside the classroom is about raising young people’s achievement through direct, meaningful experiences beyond the classroom

 

Making LotC a part of the curriculum can help to:

• Improve student’s engagement with learning.
• Show the relevance of classroom skills beyond school.
• Develop skills and independence.
• Gain students an experience in a range of environments.

All of which not only increases enjoyment of learning, but also academic achievement.

 

Faculty LOtC Schedule

All faculties within the school are scheduled to offer a specific learning outside the classroom experience to their students throughout year 7 and 8 as detailed below:

 

	Autumn 1	Autumn 2	Spring 1	Spring 2	Summer 1	Summer 2
Year 7	Maths trail.	Experiential writing	French orienteering	Field work: Outdoor microclimates	Andy Goldsworthy land art	Botanic garden trip
Year 8	Outdoor coordinates	External speaker on identity	Traditional French sports	Disaster management.	V&A innovate challenge	Zoo trip
LotC events	Fire lighting	Xmas fair	Escape room	Treasure trail	KS3 Camping	KS4 Camping

 

LOtC In The Classroom

 

Alongside these regularly scheduled events, we recognise the variety of LotC opportunities that are offered by staff both during their lessons, and as events and clubs throughout the year. Examples of these include:

• ‘Mini trips’ such as GCSE photography students’ conducting textural photography around the local area.
• LotC event days such as Desert Rat, where students get to try new experiences and relate these to their existing learning.
• Residential experiences like going camping, conducting DofE, or undertaking activities at Grafham water or Tallington lakes, or field trips for Geography to places like Sheringham.

 

Outdoor Classroom Day

Twice yearly we take part in outdoor classroom day, a global movement to make time outdoors part of every child’s day. This year we have expanded our offering to ensure all students get a chance to take part and ran a less focussed ‘Outdoor Classroom Week’ where staff were encouraged to take lessons outside. Examples of these lessons were:

• Texture exploration of the school site and grounds via chalk rubbing.
• Exploring food seasoning using the herb garden.
• Learning coordinates and compass points using navigation of the site.

 

Curriculum Day

Learning Outside the Classroom took over the latest curriculum day for year 9, offering a carousel built around them exploring and understanding their environment:

• Changing their perspective on the school by seeing it from the top of a climbing wall.
• Touring the site and discovering the textures and colours that make up their school.
• Designing and redesigning the spaces that they use every day.

Across the day the year produced artistic pieces inspired by their experiences that we hope to display within the school as a record of their hard work and achievement.