‘The best kept classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky’
Margaret McMillan 1925
Mr Spud and Outdoor Learning
Outdoor Learning Update
Mr Spud has supported Holbeach Primary pupils with a range of potatoes and grow bags to support our allotments and invest in our local area embracing food growth. The pupils have been busy learning about their optimum growing conditions and what they need to maintain and thrive. The photos share the stages that have been followed to begin this process and this has supported the pupil’s knowledge across science in particular. These photos show the involvement across Year 1 and 2 so far. Please keep an eye out to see how this progresses and other year groups that will support. Great thanks is also shared with Mr Spud for supporting us in making this happen.
Stage 1- Potato Growing
Stage 2 – Potato Growing
Stage 3 Potato Growing
Stage 4- Potato Growing
Stage 5- Completed so far
Outdoor Learning Intent, Implementation and Impact
Intent
At Holbeach Primary and Holbeach Bank Academies, we have a strong ethos for outdoor learning and believe that it can be used in many cross curricular areas to strengthen and deepen pupils understanding and knowledge. We create real life experiences for our pupils. Through outdoor learning, pupils will become confident, resilient and determined learners. The children are exposed to natural environments enabling them to gain understanding and respect for the natural world and all that lives within it.
Implementation
Holbeach Primary and Holbeach Bank Academies are committed to outdoor learning therefore every class in the school has at least one designated outdoor learning session per week as well as outdoor learning being incorporated, as much as possible, into our everyday lessons. Outdoor learning is planned to enrich and enhance the children’s in-school learning experiences. This gives every pupil in our academies the opportunity to enjoy and learn from our wonderful natural world on a regular basis.
Children have opportunities to learn specific outdoor skills. For example, using flint and steel to light fires to teach them about fire safety; respect for the environment, themselves and others; working within safe boundaries which they learn to recognise and manage themselves.
As well as these regular experiences of the outdoor world, the school conducts special outdoor learning days allowing the children to collaborate and work with different children from different age groups in the outdoor environment. An example of this has been the Green Champions programme, delivered by the Scout Association funded by DEFRA and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, teaching children about Birds, Bugs and Bees, Plastic Pollution and Growing Green using discussion, games and practical tasks. This gives the children a rich learning and life experience and an insight into some aspects of wildlife.
Outdoor learning takes place on our school grounds alongside local visits.
Impact
By the end of KS2 all children will have enjoyed hands on experiences learning outdoors which will add to their understanding and learning of a wide variety of curriculum areas. They will have developed imagination and creativity through exploration of the outdoors and will have developed resilience through challenging activities and working in all weathers. They also will have developed co-operation skills through team work.
Pupils will have a good understanding of nature, the world around us, growing plants and vegetables and will have contributed to the development of our school grounds and looking after the world around us.
Our schools will take part in the Lincolnshire in Bloom Schools Competition, the Royal Horticultural Society Gardening Awards and other initiatives.