Outdoor Learning
Please enjoy looking at our photos of outdoor learning throughout the school and nursery.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Outdoor Learning
Vision
Excellence achieved through care, creativity and challenge.
Intent
The Outdoor Learning Curriculum at Kings Hedges Educational Federation has been designed to utilise the outdoor environment within every curriculum area. By facilitating purposeful outdoor learning activities, pupils are encouraged to apply their knowledge and skills to the wider world. Our pupils are able to explore their surroundings in a safe environment, providing them with life-long skills that can be applied independently outside of school.
Implementation
In our catchment, some pupils do not have the opportunities to participate in outdoor learning activities outside of school due to a lack of outdoor space. Other pupils spend a lot of time playing outdoors but are unaware of how to keep themselves and others safe. By providing outdoor learning opportunities in school, we are enabling a love for learning, safer practice and independent curiosity,
Our Outdoor Curriculum covers a variety of areas, which come through in our purple threads- explore, observe, skills, health and wellbeing and risk management. These were chosen to represent the extensive research that surrounds outdoor learning. These purple threads are cross curricular and progressive throughout the school. We designed the Outdoor Curriculum statements to recognise the value and importance of children experiencing the outdoors from a young age. The curriculum will ensure that the children in our catchment demography will leave school with a range of knowledge, skills, safety information and social skills needed for life.
Outdoor Learning at KHEF is cross curricular and taught during everyday lessons, big bangs, trips and visits to local areas. Teachers carefully plan each session, or a series of lessons, to ensure that the learning intention for each subject is at the heart of the outdoor experience. Vocabulary is taught throughout the lesson, with the expectation that children will apply the new vocabulary to enhance their subject knowledge for that area of the curriculum. The location within the outdoor environment is clearly thought out to enhance the purpose of the lesson. We have a wide range of subject specific resources that will be enhanced by using the outdoors, and a range of Outdoor Learning specific resources too.
Impact
A successful lesson will be directly linked to the pupil’s confidence in applying their subject knowledge when engaging in practical activities. Assessment for learning will be considered throughout the lesson and will be used to support future lesson planning within the classroom. Outdoor learning builds confidence in communication, team building and resilience. Pupils will leave KHEF with life-long skills, a sense of adventure and natural curiosity.
Enhancements
Outdoor Learning is often used as a stimulus for new learning and can also support the application of knowledge. Pupils are provided with first-hand Outdoor Learning opportunities through big bangs and educational trips and visits. Trips outside of the school grounds allows them to feel part of the wider community and gain personal experiences of a variety of different settings. Outdoor Adventure Club is offered to pupils as an after school activity club for children. Further opportunities to extend their learning of the outdoors, is through assemblies and is embedded within School Council.
Outdoor Progression
