Outdoor learning
Vision
The vision for Outdoor Learning at Southmead Primary School is based on the concept that the outdoors is an essential part of life, integral to the development of the whole child. Outdoor learning not only focuses on subject knowledge but ties learning together through ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork, cooperation and confidence. Our Outdoor Learning curriculum aims to develop self-esteem, cooperation and creativity as well as inspire pupils to achieve their full potential to provide them with the skills for life-long enjoyment of the outside world around us.
To maximise the positive impact that outdoor experiences have upon children and young people, they should have access to frequent, continual and progressive experience of outdoor learning within a range of environments and weathers. Lessons should be regularly planned for so that they can be taken outside.
The best outcomes are achieved in schools when outdoor learning is designed as a frequent and progressive, and when it links to everyday classroom and real-life experiences. In addition, we strive to educate pupils to appreciate and understand the world around us. The world is rapidly changing (uses of plastic, digital networking) and it has never been more important than now that we engage our children in the outside world around them.
Southmead is committed to providing an enriching and creative education for all pupils where Outdoor Learning is embedded in daily learning, so that our children learn how to look after and enjoy our world.
Spotlight on our Spring Campaign
Campaign Week arrived at Southmead Primary School during the Spring Term. School and Eco Council worked together to raise awareness of air-pollution, which is affecting lots of people, particularly children, across the UK (and around the world). Southmead have teamed up with Unicef to help spread the word and to campaign for something to be done to reduce air pollution in our local area.
Our Eco Council has been working with SUSTRANS, learning how diffusion tubes can ascertain pollution levels in our local area. We will be getting the results back in a few weeks to find out what the pollution around our school is like…
The School and Eco Councils taught lessons so that we could learn more about the causes and effects of air pollution
KS2 wrote postcards to the MP Michael Gove as part of the UNICEF OutRight Campaign, persuading him to take action against air pollution
Eco Council
During our outdoor learning sessions this term, Eco Council are finding out what the pupils at Southmead think and feel about our outside spaces – how often we take learning outside and what we can do to improve the space we have.
Meet the Team!
Each class (Y1-6) elected an Eco-Council member this term.
Eco Council and Miss Allen wandered all around the school in the first Eco Meeting with questionnaires in hand. We looked at what worked well with our outdoor areas and what we could improve on. The school community has also been asked what could be improved