Outdoor Education - El Bosque - Curriculum Statement

Through the delivery of Outdoor Education we aim for the pupils to have hands on experiences through which they develop their understanding and application of our school values and successful learning skills. All outdoor learning is planned around the curriculum, which gives depth, enrichment and an outdoor perspective for our pupils. We want pupils to have the opportunity to be able to explore and learn outside throughout the year, experiencing the seasons and changing nature around them. We recognise that many of our pupils may not get the equalities of opportunity outside the school experience.

Outdoor learning is planned to enrich and enhance the pupil’s in-school learning experiences. Through this holistic approach, we strive to provide our pupils with the widest range of skills and opportunities available to us.  Pupils also have opportunities to learn specific outdoor skills which link closely to our values: Trust, Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, Courage and Excellence. For example, using flint and steel to light fires which teaches them about fire safety (responsibility, courage); respect for the environment, themselves and others (respect, kindness, excellence); working within safe boundaries which they learn to recognise and manage themselves (trust).

As children grow in confidence and their abilities in the outdoor environment, they will begin to understand, assess and manage their own risk and safety (Risk Assessment). Pupils will become more independent and understand that life comes with not only risk but also rewards (Risk Benefit). Outdoor Education teaches pupils what their own limits are and that they can push through them with support and resilience. Pupils will see that sometimes they don’t always get the desired result the first time but that doesn’t make them a failure; it helps us to grow, forcing us to try again in a different way. We encourage problem solving, logical thinking, self-reflection and evaluation but most of all the pupils will see that mistakes are an “OK” part of learning, that we are all ultimately, human.

We believe that by the time our pupils leave Philip Southcote they will:

• Have enjoyed hands on experiences learning outdoors which will add to their understanding of self, others and their environment
• Have learned a wide variety of curriculum areas
• Have developed imagination and creativity through exploration of the outdoors
• Have developed resilience through challenging activities and working in all weathers
• Have developed co-operation skills through team work
• Have an understanding of nature, the world around us, growing plants and vegetables
• Have contributed to the development of our school grounds and looking after the world around us