| Outdoor Learning |
| Outdoor Learning & Creative Partnerships at Stephenson Memorial Primary School Stephenson Memorial Primary School in Howdon received Creative Partnership funding to try and answer the following question – How can we create a stimulating outdoor learning environment for Key Stage 1 children to enhance our existing creative curriculum in order to inspire writing? Staff and Year 1 children have been working with Anita Foster, a school grounds professional based in the north east, to explore their outside space, to think about what they do and don’t like about it, and what they would like to be able to do. Throughout the process there have been numerous opportunities to support writing using a range of contexts and styles. See the grounds through a famous person's eyes Sometimes it is easier to see something familiar through someone else’s eyes so each child chose a well known person or character to invite for a tour of their grounds. The children designed invitations to send to their visitor and wrote lists of what that person might like and dislike, and then went about deciding on what to show them. They went outside and took photos of their favourite places, explaining what they did there. They also discussed which parts they thought their visitor might like or not like. Over the following weeks the children created maps of their grounds using photos, drawings and labels. They also used a range of resources to try things out – some fabric, pallets, ropes and chalk on the wall in an unused area became a stage for JLS and Cheryl Cole; mirrors, seating and planted tyres became a garden for the Princesses; and a larger, open area and materials including plastic sheeting, planks and bicycle handlebars became cars, trucks and rocket packs for the Superheroes. Year 6 pupils acted as the visitors and the children enthusiastically took Alan Shearer, Mr Potato Head, Cinderella and Hannah Montana around their grounds. A visit to the House of Objects at the Rising Sun Country Park gave the children more inspiration, and back at school they created homes for the creatures they had made out of recycled materials. They also wrote about their creatures and took them outside to try and find suitable homes. Recycled materials Throughout the process the children have been able to reflect on their grounds in terms of what they have and do now, and what they would like to be able to do. They have shown great imagination and the next phase of the project will be to put in place some of the things they have identified they would like – a stage/performance area; a quiet seating area; increased opportunities for writing outside using a range of resources and materials; opportunities to display written work outside; and a series of inspirational resource boxes all of which can be used for teaching and play. This will be done on a minimal budget using recycled and donated materials where possible. Children's ownership the key to success Although the physical changes to the outside space have yet to be made, there have been many learning opportunities within the process. Outdoor activities have linked well to a range of indoor activities supporting many areas of the curriculum. The children will present a class assembly to the rest of their school and their families, who will hopefully be involved in making some of the changes. Most importantly it will be the children’s own thoughts and ideas which will inspire the space and how it will be used. Using such a participative process has helped the children to fully engage in and have ownership over the project and its outcomes, and this will help to ensure the future success of the outside space as a place for creative learning and play. |
| The Rising Sun Country Park |
| Outdoor Learning Project Growing Together - Churchill Family of Schools Growing Together is a programme for the 6 schools in the Churchill Family of Schools. The aim is for individual schools to consider and improve the use, design and management of their grounds for all, using this process to support the transition of pupils from primary to secondary school. Projects within primary schools will be led by year 6 pupils, but pupils from all year groups along with staff will be fully involved. Pupils moving on will leave behind a legacy whilst taking with them the things they think are important about their outside space and these will influence the grounds of their new school. Pupils from the different schools will meet to share experiences and ideas throughout the programme, and each school will have an advisory site visit along with additional ongoing support. There will be an event at the end of the school year to share and celebrate the schools’ achievements, but it is hoped that the development and improvement of each school’s grounds will continue. The project is being led by Anita Foster of School Grounds North-East |
