Taking the Curriculum Outdoors
At Widcombe CofE Junior School, wherever possible learning experiences take place outdoors. Children are found to be more alert, engaged and enthusiastic when learning outdoors. Such stimulating environments can also help them become self-motivated and self-led. We make use of our varied playground spaces as well as a great range of interesting outdoor learning sites that are within easy walking distance of the school, such as Smallcombe Woods, Bathwick Fields, Lyncombe Vale, the River Avon corridor, the Kennet and Avon canal, Sydney and Parade Gardens and other open spaces in and around Widcombe.
A great variety of curriculum lessons are taught outside - from drama and writing to maths and science. We have a popular and well equipped Forest School area known as Chestnut Corner which includes a tool workshop, mud kitchen, tree house, fire circle, woodshed and tyre seating area. In 2022 a new timber outdoor classroom was installed in the school grounds.
At Widcombe CofE Junior School we believe learning outdoors significantly enriches the curriculum.
Forest School is a learner-centred educational approach which gives children the opportunity to succeed and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on activities in a natural outdoor environment. It gives children a chance to engage in practical tool work and learn challenging skills such as fire lighting, green woodwork, outdoor cooking and knot tying. This hands on approach in all seasons and all weathers, helps develop motivation, curiosity, confidence, self-esteem, creativity, empathy and communication skills as well as knowledge of the natural world and an ability to assess risk.
During the school year, every class gets a number Forest School sessions in Chestnut Corner as well as regular trips to Smallcombe Woods. We are very lucky to have easy access to some beautiful countryside and important local nature areas. This allows us to teach the children about plants and animals in the natural environment and we regularly take classes, groups and even the whole school up to Smallcombe Woods and Bathwick Fields. In Year 6 the children also have a Forest School day up at Rainbow Woods. The school maintains close links with the National Trust and The Friends of Lyncombe Vale which allows us to get involved in local environmental projects such as hazel coppicing, seed collecting and bulb planting.
Every term we select children to take part in extra Forest School sessions which are held in Chestnut Corner on Tuesday afternoons. Regular access to the outdoor environment provides these children with inspirational and challenging learning opportunities, helps them with team work and builds their perseverance skills.
Twenty percent of the school day is spent on playtimes and lunchtimes. Over seven years at primary school, this equates to nearly one and half years! At Widcombe Junior School, we believe this is too valuable a resource to waste. We want our children to be inquisitive, playful, and creative and learn to manage risks through play.
Since September 2016, we have been steadily improving and enriching our outdoor spaces. These now include an allotment, den building materials, bug hotels, an outdoor piano and a large shed full of loose parts available for the children to use every lunchtime. We encourage traditional playground games such as cats cradle, marbles, four square, conkers and skipping. Children are given opportunities to get involved in designing, building and developing various playground initiatives such as go-karts.
The impact of increased of increased outdoor learning and play has been significant across the school. Feedback from staff, children and parents is that our playground is a happy, exciting and rewarding place to be. Below are some comments from parents about our playtimes.
‘Last week we peeped over the playground fence to see our daughter and friends absolutely engrossed in a world of imagination and wonder. The staff have created a little corner of magic that is continually growing - tree houses, bug hotels, suitcase sledges, mud kitchens and happy happy children. With their passion and determination the possibilities are endless.’ Year 3 parent
‘The playground has been transformed into a magical and quirky space where you see children zooming around in wheelbarrows and suitcases, dressed up in high heels and old washing baskets, hanging from dens made from netting, writing plays in the make-shift theatre, digging up soil.... It is amazing to see how simple it has been to transform playtimes by simply bringing in lots of 'junk' and letting the children’s' imagination run loose. It’s also touching to see how much pride they take in their play stuff and how good they are at tidying away at the end of play times. It has had a real impact on my daughters - they LOVE school and are more than ever oozing with confidence and happiness, they rarely complain of playground squabbles and often tell me what a great school they are in’. Year 5 Parent
Every term we select children to join our gardening club, giving them the opportunity to work in small groups seeding, planting, pruning, digging and working with the seasons.
