Outdoor Education
Outdoor Education Curriculum Statement, Knowledge and Skills Progression
We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” Jawaharlal Nehru
Subject Vision: We aim to use the outdoors to inspire, motivate and build resilience in our pupils. We want all pupils to develop a life long love of the outdoors and a respect and understanding for the natural world. We want our pupils to have hands on experiences in a wide range of outdoor contexts working both individually and collaboratively. We want pupils to experience enhanced personal and social development through exposure to progressive challenge and learning to manage risk. In the Exe Valley Federation, we hope that outdoor learning will contribute to children’s wider development and provide opportunities for them to develop their own connection with and understanding of the natural world.
Statement of Intent: The Exe Valley federation aims to provide regular opportunities for outdoor learning, recognising the benefits it brings to children’s personal and social development, health and wellbeing. We aim to foster a lifelong love of the outdoors within our school communities for all children. Through standalone outdoor learning sessions, residentials, extracurricular opportunities and sessions integrated into curriculum subjects, pupils will experience enhanced personal and social development, learn practical skills and develop an understanding and respect of the natural world. At the Exe Valley Federation, we want pupils to develop a connection with and understanding of their local environment and to take advantage of our proximity to Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks.
Statement of Implementation: The Exe Valley Federation’s outdoor learning programme is a progressive programme which begins in EYFS and continues throughout the pupils’ time at school until its culmination in Year 6. Discrete outdoor learning sessions are timetabled for each class across the federation led by the Outdoor Learning Lead each year. This is in addition to the outdoor learning the children engage with in national curriculum subjects with their class teacher. High quality resources are available to support teachers in the delivery of the National Curriculum objectives in outdoor environments. During sessions with the outdoor learning lead teacher, children progressively build upon bush craft skills including tool use, cooking, shelter building and develop their understanding of environmental issues and sustainable practices. Enhanced personal and social development opportunities underpin the teaching of all outdoor skills with a particular focus on team work, communication and problem solving. As part of the outdoor learning offer, the children take part in local events such as the Exmoor Challenge and residential activities taking advantage of the Exe Valley Federation’s proximity to local national parks. Outdoor learning sessions focusing on navigation and map skills enable pupils to be well prepared and successful when tackling such challenges. Through dedicated sessions with the Outdoor Learning Lead, Exe Valley Federation staff will be empowered with the knowledge, skills, confidence and resources to plan and deliver high quality outdoor learning experiences for their own classes.