At Punnetts Town Community Primary School, we believe passionately that all children should have access to high quality learning, both inside and outside of the classroom. We have focused on developing our outdoor spaces to support the curriculum and enable staff and children to get outside all year round.
Punnetts Town outdoor learning provides memorable learning experiences, helping children to make sense of the world around them by putting their learning into a meaningful context.
Being outdoors has a positive impact on children’s sense of well-being. It offers opportunities for exploring learning in different ways. It gives children first-hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world and offers them freedom to explore, use their senses and be physically active.
We are fortunate to have a designated area on site that has a wildlife area, a pond, raised beds and a campfire circle. In addition, we have extended grounds within the schools’ immediate locality to explore further. This ensures we have sustainable space to embed this as part of our school curriculum offer.
Our outdoor learning supports the National curriculum and reinforces the learning from inside the classroom in areas of Science, Art and Geography. For example, mini-beast hunting, leaf pressing, clay modelling and treasure hunts to name trees and flowers. Underpinning the learning is the focus on children’s personal and social skills, communication, problem solving, thinking skills and teamwork.
In addition, we provide many opportunities for children to enrich and benefit from learning with outdoor education and off-site educational visits. This encompasses visits to museums, churches, theatres, parks, woodland areas and other areas of interest. When a child leaves Punnetts Town School, they will have increased confidence, maturity and self-esteem because of their varied experiences.
Being outdoors is a proven way to improve your mental wellbeing. As a school, we believe above all that it is our duty to help children develop the skills they need to be resilient, well-rounded and healthy members of society. By instilling the values of Outdoor Learning, we are helping our children take care of their own mental and physical wellbeing, by allowing them to explore independence, challenge and problem solving.
Benefits of Outdoor Learning:
- Brings learning alive
- Supports children’s physical and mental development
- Increases confidence and self-esteem
- Reduces stress
- Supports creativity and problem-solving
- Increases attention and concentration
- Improves nutrition
- Increases pupil engagement in learning
- Improves self-discipline
- Increases motivation and resilience
- Improves academic performance
- Adds depth to the curriculum