Outdoor Learning at Clockhouse Primary School

We aim to provide all of our children with a wide range of experiences outside the classroom, including extended school activities and early years.  We work hard to ensure learning activities are run safely and aim for the experiences to be of high quality.

There is now widespread appreciation of the unique contribution these experiences make to young people’s lives.  They can gain first hand experiences, knowledge or skills using our natural outdoor environment.  Crucially, engaging with tasks in the outdoor environment supports physical health, mental health and resilience.  

Our aim is to;

• Make better use of our resources.
• Encourage more widespread use of educational opportunities outside the classroom.
• Support learning outside the classroom, to provide high-quality experiences for all young people.
• Create a shared agenda for future activity.
• Make it easier for staff to see how they can best contribute.
• Call on others in the public, private, voluntary and community sectors to work in partnership with us to deliver our aims.

With this in mind the school has continually worked over the past year to ensure that we identify ways of engaging parents, carers and the wider community in learning outside the classroom.

First phase completed

• Share vision with staff.
• Work with Parents Association.
• Hedgerow plants to provide habitats around the fencing area of the field.
• Packs of saplings to grow a forest with a learning area in the centre           (320 native  trees).
• British, local apple trees to grow an orchard on field.
• Workshop for Year 4 to plant apple trees, taste apples and create bird feeders.
• Wild flower margins – separating woodland from other areas.
• Open up boxes around seating area KS2 and KS1 classrooms - plant sensory  plants.
• Mud kitchen in Nursery.
• Raised beds for every classroom.

Second phase completed

KS1 Quad area

• Pond dug out and relined with a hard liner, with decking around 2 sides to enable children to pond dip.  Marginal planting around pond edge.

Field area

• Side of staffroom, opposite seating area in KS2 playground
• Outdoor learning classroom erected with bark chipping surround.       
• Hedgehog hotel
• Nesting boxes (D&T project for a year group?)
• Stag beetle pile – (get wood from workers who are working on Quad area)
• Bee keeping (Essex Bee keepers association & Miss Williams)
• Trim willow sculpture dome and soak cuttings to then create new willow sculpture on field.
• Greenhouse – share plan with Gary, so that he can by materials and build frame. Children to create plastic bottle walls. (free cycle)
• Mural on side of building KS2 (Noak Hill art group, local colleges re community project

KS1 Quad Transformation