Early Years

Special report on Outdoor Learning

At Learning Spaces we always try to include an article on external learning opportunities in each edition. This edition we decided to consider the impact of having separate enclosed spaces as part of the environment.

Outdoor learning is an important extension to the school curriculum. External classrooms or learning spaces are one of the items that most schools ask for when there is the chance to remodel or have a new school. This applies equally to primary, special and secondary school.

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      string(4052) "skills necessary for all learning.It makes no sense to have small wriggly children sitting still why we teach them something, they are so focused on trying to be still, which is unnatural and uncomfortable, that they cannot take in the information anyway. This sitting still to learn approach is preventing our children from learning, and makes sense even for adults as, when we are physically uncomfortable, all our energy focuses on that and it is extremely difficult to take in and retain information.Some would argue that they need to learn to be still and this is an important skill for the future. This is obviously correct, but you don’t learn to develop and grow, it is a sequence. You don’t put a young baby in a chair to teach them to sit up, or give them a teething ring to teach them to have teeth. Development and growth is sequential and children need time, space and opportunities to practise developing at their own pace. This is highly applicable when it comes to writing; if children haven’t mastered the gross motor skills and the wide pivotal movements from their shoulders they will struggle to hold pencils and other small writing implements. Simply sitting them down to practise holding a pencil is like asking a baby to hold a spoon in a hope they might feed themselves; they will eventually, but no quicker that they would have done had the skill been encouraged at the right time.Moving is so integral to healthy development it impacts on children’s social and emotional development too. Young children are often seen to be bonding around movement, running, jumping and chasing each other. This fires off synapses in the brain that aid learning and social development, boisterous play encourages children to relate to each other and learn about physical boundaries.So, the answer to the challenge in how to improve outcomes for children could lie in the need for children to move. It’s time to have a radical rethink of our Reception classrooms, a root and branch assessment of culture, expectations, staffing, environment and planning. It is still possible to teach and to ensure children are fully engaged learners without restricting them physically, it just requires some imagination and fresh thinking as well as the courage to stand up for what is right for children.The environment needs to be enabling, fewer tables and chairs and more space to spread out, a good outdoor learning space that encourages movement, spaces to run climb, sit and even roll around. All these movements help children to develop control over their bodies and the sooner they do that the better they will be able to sit still, eventually!Top Tips for promoting physical developmentThink whole body planning – phonics, maths, writing, stories and most other learning can all be done through moving aroundPlan your classroom so that children have spaces to work on the floor without other children walking throughEnsure planned tasks are child-centred and built on children’s interests – that way they are more likely to engage and learnEnsure the outdoor environment has a variety of surfaces, textures and levels for children to useProvide lots of opportunity for children to move and carry things aroundGet outside as much as you can – plan for as much learning to be done outside as possibleProvide lots of vertical surfaces for children to draw paint, chalk and write onThink ‘does this have to be done at a table?’Support children to manage their own risks – risk averse adults often inhibit movement and playJoin in and play with the childrenIf children must sit still for some reason, make sure it is for short periods of time and try and build in some movement time – e.g. actions songs in assemblyMore informationhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguetables/10488555/OECD-education-report-subject-results-in-full.html Connell, G. and McCarthy, C. (2014). A Moving Child is a Learning Child. Free Spirit Publishing."
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Special Needs

Moving to Learn

17 Apr 2018

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      string(389) "... DfES or local authoritieshave done enough to publicise thisstreamlining, nor to provide strategicleadership or direction generally.The adequate training of teachers is a vitalaspect of outdoor education, and it must becarried out properly, in accordance withgood curriculum guidance as well as healthand safety regulations. The report expressedconcern that out-of ..."
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      string(5692) "TRENDS10 May/June 2005Outdoor school tr ips belong asan integral part of everypupil’s childhood exper ience.That is the conclusion of a report by theCommons education select committee,and it seems the Government is finallytaking note.The report, published in February thisyear, shows how school trips have beendeclining steadily over the years becauseof teachers’ fear of legal action arisingfrom accidents. This trend doesn’t justaffect school trips: there has been adecline in opportunities for educationoutside the classroom generally, affectingall types of outdoor experience.The situation wasn’t helped when theNational Association of SchoolmastersUnion of Women Teachers (NASUWT)advised its members to not to take part inschool trips because of the heightened fearof being sued or arrested if problems arise.The result is that a lot of outdoorlearning activities have been curbed orreplaced by safer activities, particularly thosewhich are easily measurable, or measurablein a predictable or sanitised way.But who said the world was eitherpredicable or sanitised?On the other hand, neither is it dirty andviolent (no, really – that’s the media), withPressure is growing for teachers to shake off their anxietiesabout school visitsReturn of the school trip?terrors waiting in the shadows for theirchance to strike. Tabloid journalism andhigh-profile coverage of isolated incidentscan make the situation appear much worsethan it is. The actual incidence of seriousaccidents on school trips is very low indeed(57 fatal accidents in 20 years).Fiona Hammans, head of BanburySchool, Oxfordshire, and representative ofthe Secondary Heads Association, told theselect committee that her schoolsuccessfully organises a wide-rangingprogramme of educational visits andoutdoor activities, while recognising thatan element of risk is involved.“If I am honest,” she said, “the fear is stillthere sometimes… [but] it is aboutsomething special and distinct that we canoffer our students. There is a risk there, butour parents have opted into the fact that wewill do everything we can and more tominimise that risk, but there is no learningwithout some risk. “I think it needs the head teacher’sbacking, becauseTRENDS 11May/June 2005TRENDS>“We will do everything we can and more to minimise that risk,but there is no learning without some risk”that is the person who is likely to end upin court. So if we are talking about thatfear, if the head is going to say quiteclearly: ‘These are valuable educationalactivities which we will run at minimumrisk for the very best interestseducationally of our students,’ then you aregoing to take your staff with you.”The cross-curricular nature of out-of-classroom learning contributes to learningin a range of areas – from science andgeography fieldwork, history andcitizenship visits to museums and heritagesites, to practical or vocational skillseducation that cannot be practised in aclassroom environment.Group activities can develop socialskills and give self-confidence.Furthermore, outdoor education has akey role to play in the social inclusionagenda, offering children who may nototherwise have the opportunity thesimple chance to experience thecountryside or parts of our her itage.Outdoor learning is a tool to enrich thecurriculum across subject areas. From ageography field trip to a week at a residentialactivity centre, out-of-classroom educationcan help bring a subject to life; it is tooimportant to sacrifice on the basis that thechildren couldn’t be cosseted to our peace ofmind during its duration.The select committee’s reportrecommends that the DfES needs towork with teacher unions and schools toensure that teachers do not feelvulnerable to litigation and that they areaware of the law as it now stands.PatchyAt the moment, provision for outdooreducation is extremely patchy. Althoughsome schools offer an active and well-planned programme, many are deterredby the false perception that a high degreeof risk is inherent to outdoor education,or that it involves a lot of cumbersomebureaucracy and issues of funding, timeand resources.While the select committee’s reportfound no evidence of heightened risk (atthe moment, 7m trouble-free pupil visitstake place every year), it did find evidenceof needless bureaucracy where some schoolsand local authorities are demandingexcessively lengthy risk assessments.Such bureaucracy is a burden onschools and is being actively reduced bythe Government.  It wants localauthorities to achieve a better balancebetween minimising red tape whileensuring that the necessary measures aretaken to protect pupil health and safety.Yet neither the DfES or local authoritieshave done enough to publicise thisstreamlining, nor to provide strategicleadership or direction generally.The adequate training of teachers is a vitalaspect of outdoor education, and it must becarried out properly, in accordance withgood curriculum guidance as well as healthand safety regulations. The report expressedconcern that out-of-classroom activitiesshould be led by well-qualified people whoknow how to get the most out of them, andto do this the DfES must engage professionalbodies to ensure that teachers accesscontinuing professional development, whichshould include curriculum design. It alsourged the DfES to review the place ofoutdoor education within initial teachertraining (ITT) programmes.Recently, educational visits co-ordinators (EVCs) have been introducedinto schools to provide advice on theorganisation of school trips and ensurethat best practice guidance is"
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Leadership

Return of the school trip?

1 Nov 2006

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      string(355) "... very positive. The teachers welcomethe airy and spacious feeling, the daylight and the gardens. Theyexpress appreciation of the calm, tranquil atmosphere of the place.They report that the pupils love their new environment and theyexpressed this to the whole consortium team in a special thank-you assembly.Courtyard forming heart ..."
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      string(5622) "meetings with our client at the LondonBorough of Harrow, the location of hygiene spaces became animportant issue. The preferred option was for an even distributionbetween the various teaching wings. From a pupil managementpoint of view, Harrow liked this solution as it limits the valuableteaching time wasted in getting to and from the hygiene areas. Moreimportantly, however, it supports pupil independence, and can beused as a teaching tool. Our clients finally opted for slightly smallerindividual spaces (keeping to the total area allowance as set in thebrief) with access direct from common circulation areas.Legibility through articulationIn general, each corridor has two differing sides: a continuous ribbonof windows to one side and a wall which is articulated by the nichesof the storage zone on the other side. A special guidance rail runsaround the courtyard. It contains a recess to take ‘touchy-feely’ clueinserts from the pupils, little signifiers/markers to help them findtheir class or teacher or hygiene area. It also assists pupils with limitedmobility to stand up independently to look out into the courtyard.Using colour to aid navigationThe basic colour strategy was developed early on in the designprocess; orientation colours were allocated to each corridor ratherthan to each key stage zone, as these may change or vary over time.Generally, the orientation colours are applied to the recessed spinewall of the niches along the corridors.The overall, detailed colour scheme was developed at a later stage,when the construction was advanced enough to allow colour sampleareas to be tested in situ. All sample and colour boards were thenprepared and presented for sign-off by our clients and the RNIB whoscrutinised the project.Looking across the courtyard, one can see the colour of theopposite corridor. Likewise, a colour was allocated for the post-16zone upstairs.Each corridor colour is carried over to the classroom side of thespine wall. This helps pupils link their classroom to the corridorthey are part of; it also assists them to orientate within their classspace.All doors used by pupils have the same colour and differ fromthe teacher-only or supervised-entry therapy doors. Within eachcorridor, the door leaves to the hygiene areas take on the samecolour as the corridor; this allows those inside to know which corridorthey belong to.The corridors are carpeted throughout and are colour bandedto aid with ‘guided walking’. There is a different colour for eachCopyrightAndrew BeardCopyrightAndrew BeardArticle name herewww.century21schools.com54 21st Century Schools  Volume 2:2Article name herewww.century21schools.com55 Volume 2:2  21st Century Schoolsfloor level. All key stage classrooms have thesame light-coloured vinyl floor covering andwhite walls in general. This assists in creatinga calming environment, which is important tohelp pupils, learners with ASD in particular, keepfocused. Contrasting safety vinyl flooring hasbeen incorporated to delineate the accessiblesink area.The outdoor classroomThe external areas are designed not only toprovide external classrooms, play areas andcirculation space, but also to give the pupilsconfidence in being ‘outside’, and provide positiveand stimulating sensory experiences for them.The heart of the school is the central courtyard.It is visible from the entrance foyer and is fullyenclosed, flanked by the circulation corridorloop. It contains the sensory garden whichprovides a concentration of experiences. Raisedplanters allow pupils easy access to touch andsmell different types of plants at close quarters;a simple water feature allows interaction andparticipation. There is a sun deck with a tree anda pergola offering dappled shade in the summer. In the winter andin hours of darkness, the courtyard is lit by external uplighters (setin the bamboo, sun deck and tree planter), and remains pleasantlyinternalised rather than being lost in darkness.Access and circulation to all garden areas are designed to be safeand easy. There are changes in surface materials, which can be feltas well as seen at orientation points. Distinctive visual and auditoryelements act as ‘landmark’ points, such as strong architecturalplants and wind chimes, and change along the routes through theshade of a willow walk, which can be entered at different pointsthrough a glazed door at the end of each corridor.FeedbackWe have revisited the school on several occasions to get feedback,to check its workings and to take stock; we have also shownaround a steady stream of delegations and consortia. HeadteacherPauline Atkins gladly shows off her new school, especially whenvisitors have the chance to see the school at work. The feedbackwe have received has been very positive. The teachers welcomethe airy and spacious feeling, the daylight and the gardens. Theyexpress appreciation of the calm, tranquil atmosphere of the place.They report that the pupils love their new environment and theyexpressed this to the whole consortium team in a special thank-you assembly.Courtyard forming heart of the schoolClassrooms overlooking the gardenHydrotherapy poolTeam:ArchitectNicholas	Hare	Architects	LLPFundersThe	Mill	Group	_	Investors	in	the	CommunityFacilities	ManagerKier	Managed	ServicesConstructorCarillion	BuildingStructural/Civil	engineersThe	Waterman	GroupMechanical/Electrical	engineersLorne	Stewart	PLCLandscape	ArchitectsDavid	Huskisson	AssociatesClient	representativeGleedsCopyrightAndrew BeardCopyrightAndrew BeardCopyrightNicholasHare ArchitectsArticle name herewww.century21schools.com"
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Learning Spaces

Special needs quality through the PFI

22 Sep 2009

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Folder: Leadership Briefings Issue 3.09 (33)"
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      string(5456) "ResourceLEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOMOriginal DocumentLearning Outside The Classroom. At a time when the government is actively promoting learning outside the classroom, this report evaluates the importance of such learning in primary and secondary schools and colleges. It identifies strengths and weaknesses in practice and shows how schools and colleges overcome common barriers that can limit successful learning outside the classroom.KeywordsLearning outside, primary, secondary schools, colleges, field studies, sporting events, outdoor activitiesSummaryLearning inside a classroom is a tried and tested method of organising schooling. However, teachers and learners have always valued the additional opportunities for learning provided by a range of activities conducted outside the classroom. These include day and residential visits, field studies, investigations conducted in the local area, sporting events, and music and drama productions. In organising such activities, schools and colleges have often drawn on the services of a range of providers, including commercially run outdoor education and sport centres, as well as the education departments of museums, art galleries, theatres and concert halls.Recently, the Government has placed increased emphasis on such activities with the publication of the Learning outside the classroom manifesto and the training and guidance associated with it.This report evaluates the impact of learning outside the classroom in 12 primary schools, 10 secondary schools, one special school, one pupil referral unit and three colleges across England where previous inspections had shown that curricular provision, in particular outside the classroom, was good, outstanding or improving rapidly. Inspectors also visited or contacted 13 specialist organisations, including providers of learning outside the classroom, and held discussions with representatives from five local authorities.Key Findings:· When planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom contributed significantly to raising standards and improving pupils’ personal, social and emotional development.· Only six schools in the survey had a detailed knowledge of the Government’s Learning outside the classroom manifesto and even they were unsure of how other national guidance and programmes, such as the National Strategies, linked to it.· Learning outside the classroom was most successful when it was an integral element of long-term curriculum planning and closely linked to classroom activities.· The primary schools in the survey made better and more consistent use of their own buildings and grounds and the neighbouring area to support learning than the secondary schools.· Too many residential and other visits considered during the survey had learning objectives which were imprecisely defined and not integrated sufficiently with activities in the classroom. This was particularly the case in primary schools.· The schools in the survey relied very heavily on contributions from parents and carers to meet the costs of residential and other visits and had given very little thought to alternative ways of financing them.· Of the schools and colleges visited, only three had evaluated the impact of learning outside the classroom on improving achievement, or monitored the take-up of activities by groups of pupils and students. The vast majority in the sample were not able to assess the effectiveness, inclusiveness or value for money of such activities.· The schools and colleges had worked hard and successfully to overcome the barriers to learning outside the classroom, including those relating to health and safety, pupils’ behaviour and teachers’ workload.· Schools and colleges received valuable support from local authorities and local Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs) in meeting health and safety requirements for visits. They received limited support for assuring the quality of the learning resulting from such activities.ActionThe Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) should:· Reinforce the message to schools about the value of learning outside the classroom and support its appropriate use more widely across its programmes.Local authorities and their partners should:· Build on their successful work in assuring appropriate health and safety practices by better supporting and encouraging schools in enhancing the quality of learning outside the classroom as a means of raising achievement.Schools and colleges should:· Ensure that their curriculum planning includes sufficient well structured opportunities for all learners to engage in learning outside the classroom as a key, integrated element of their experience.· Evaluate the quality of learning outside the classroom to ensure that it has maximum impact on learners’ achievement, personal development and well-being.· Ensure equal and full access for all learners to learning outside the classroom by monitoring participation in activities by different groups of learners and removing any barriers.NotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Imaginative MindsDate CreatedOctober 2008Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Learning Outside The Classroom

8 Oct 2008

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      string(5594) "When school leaders talk about their achievements the tone is usually serious, even slightly reverential. In contrast Gwyn ap Harri and Andy Sprakes, founders of XP School Doncaster, introduce their book ‘How We XP’ in an appealingly light-hearted way: ‘Half story, half instruction manual, half call to arms. That equals one and a half. It’s that good.’XP stands for Expeditionary Learning and, like ap Harri and Sprakes’ introduction, it sounds like a lot of fun. Expeditionary is a metaphor for a style of learning that is radically different from the norm in the UK. Here students work together in groups, perhaps with students from other years and instead of absorbing a body of knowledge they develop a curiosity and find ways both to explore a subject and also to produce an original contribution which is of use to others in their community.Expeditionary Learning has been popular in the United States for over 30 years, has been praised by Barack Obama and received funding from the Gates Foundation. But it wasn’t available in the UK until XP School Doncaster opened in 2014.Working with the Edge FoundationTeachingTimes  will  be exploring Expeditionary Learning with The Edge Foundation in a free webinar The Lessons of Covid-19 – Are New Pedagogies Needed? on November 3rd at 4.30pm.XP School Doncaster is one of the featured schools and delegates will learn first-hand what they and High Technology High in San Diego do that makes their learners so special, so independent, mature and ready for the world of work. This webinar is especially topical right now. The skills shortages in the UK and the crisis in education were apparent even before the pandemic. The Edge Foundation has accused the government of trying to address, ‘twenty-first century skills shortages using a curriculum and pedagogy from the late nineteenth century’.Their report Towards a Twenty-First Century Education System goes on to say ‘Their focus on a narrow ‘knowledge-rich’ curriculum is squeezing out the very subjects that would train the engineers and creative professionals that we so badly need.’Starting outside the classroomXP School Doncaster opened in September 2014 in temporary accommodation at Doncaster Rovers Football Club with just 50 Year 7 students and a plan to increase numbers year on year with a cap of 350 learners.Despite being over-subscribed, they have not given in to the temptation to Go Large. Tutor groups, known as ‘crews’, are less than half the size of a typical secondary class with just 12 or 13 students to one adult.‘The Pioneers’ as that first cohort came to be known started their XP school career with a four day Outward Bound residential in Aberdovey where a series of challenges and outdoor pursuits helped the group to bond and develop strong healthy relationships both within the group and with staff.This approach is not just for students either. The recruitment section of their website says: ‘Our Induction is as long as it’s legendary – from June to September. From Outward Bound, to experiencing how our students learn. With character growth and challenging experiences.’ While most schools have five days a year to spend on professional development, XP School Doncaster allocates 15 days and embraces imaginative opportunities, such as sending two members of staff to work alongside coaches at The National Theatre in London for two daysTheir strategy seems to have paid off as their website claims, ‘Staff turnover and absence is low, and we never had to fund cover.’ Covid may change the picture, but it is a claim many schools would be proud to make.Curriculum with a differenceBased on a model forged in the USA, Expeditionary Learning is designed to be project based and bring together elements from different curriculum areas in unusual and inventive ways. It is interactive, creative and breaks down the boundaries between subjects. Students are engaged in two expeditions at any one time – one humanities themed and the other STEAM based. These will take half a term on average, but there are longer projects too which combine both where appropriate.Some might wonder if this is a return to the cross curricular approach beloved of primary schools but in fact all expeditions are mapped to the National Curriculum and GCSE syllabus so that while students experience the curriculum holistically, teachers are absolutely clear exactly which elements of individual subjects are being taught at any time.Sample interdisciplinary projectsChefistry was a Year 7 expedition designed to show students the link between chemistry and cooking. 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Leadership

Expeditionary Learning could change the face of education in the UK and it starts with XP School in Doncaster

14 Oct 2020

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