Outdoor Learning

Intent, Implementation

+ Impact Statement

View document

Outdoor Learning

Intent, Implementation

+ Impact Statement

View document

Risk Assessment

View document

We believe in integrating outdoor learning into children’s education from Reception to Year 6. We are committed to providing children with a wealth of learning experiences at Whitnash and aim to ensure that children develop a true love of learning. Outdoor learning is one way that we do this for our children. Outdoor learning is curriculum based learning just delivered outside in a more active and engaging way. Sessions help to increase engagement in learning, encourage thinking and teamwork skills as well as nurturing learning behaviours such as resilience and creativity.


Outdoor learning runs through all curriculum areas at Whitnash. We have a unique outdoor space with a large field and various other outdoor spaces including a forest school area and a school garden. Outdoor Learning starts in Reception where learning outdoors is part of their daily diet. Reception have their own outdoor learning space which they access every morning and afternoon. They also have regular outdoor learning sessions delivered in areas around the school site. From Years 1-6 teachers take their classes out for outdoor learning every week on ‘Fresh Air Friday’. Each class also takes part in two outdoor learning enrichments afternoons led by Mrs Henshaw which enhance children’s topic learning.

Outdoor Learning

Intent, Implementation

+ Impact Statement

View document

Risk Assessment

View document

Learning Outdoors

Approaches at Whitnash

View Document View Document

We believe in integrating outdoor learning into children’s education from Reception to Year 6. We are committed to providing children with a wealth of learning experiences at Whitnash and aim to ensure that children develop a true love of learning. Outdoor learning is one way that we do this for our children. Outdoor learning is curriculum based learning just delivered outside in a more active and engaging way. Sessions help to increase engagement in learning, encourage thinking and teamwork skills as well as nurturing learning behaviours such as resilience and creativity.

Outdoor learning runs through all curriculum areas at Whitnash. We have a unique outdoor space with a large field and various other outdoor spaces including a forest school area and a school garden. Outdoor Learning starts in Reception where learning outdoors is part of their daily diet. Reception have their own outdoor learning space which they access every morning and afternoon. They also have regular outdoor learning sessions delivered in areas around the school site. From Years 1-6 teachers take their classes out for outdoor learning every week on ‘Fresh Air Friday’. Each class also takes part in two outdoor learning enrichments afternoons led by Mrs Henshaw which enhance children’s topic learning.

We ticked off one of our bucket list activities! We used our maths knowledge to collect three different length sticks. A long stick, a medium stick and a short stick. We started with our short sticks and began to build a bonfire. We talked about Bonfire night and how and why it is celebrated by some people. We shared what we had done to celebrate bonfire night.
We looked at the design of the buildings and recreated them using the natural materials we could find outside.
We have been reading the story 'The Colour Monster'. He sent us a letter telling us about his favourite food, Monster stew. We read the recipe together then headed outside to make the stew. We followed the recipe and found the items around the school playgrund and in forest school and counted them into our tubs. We mixed it all up and left the stew for the monster to enjoy. We hope he likes it !
We re-created the famous Mayan calendar in answering our enquiry question.
We had great fun practising our skills in symmetry.
We met a leaf creature who told us he had some very unhappy leaf friends. We worked in groups to make a home for his friends. We also thought about what his friends might need and made it out of natural materials. We noticed how it was much better if we worked together so that we could get more done in the time.
We measured different items we found outside.
Year 2 went on a Maths Treasure Hunt. They had to work out the answers on the sheet to find the corresponding letter on the cards that were positioned around the playground and field. We had great fun!
We created keys using natural objects.

Year 6 outdoor learning 

We began the session by sharing our knowledge about what we knew about each layer of the rainforest. We then took a walk ‘through the rainforest’. We spotted animals and talked about what it might feel like to be in each layer as we walked around the outdoor space. The children were then challenged to use natural resources to create a model of the rainforest including all 4 layers, animals and plants in each layer. They found clues around the outdoor space to help them. The children worked brilliantly in their groups and created fantastic model rainforests. They shared them with each other, talked through each layer and the animals they had represented. We then discussed some of the threats that rainforests face and how they would impact their models. Each group was then given a threat that they had to represent in their rainforest model. For example, the group with deforestation knocked down their trees and talked about how this would also kill animal habitats and displace the animals to lower layers. We finished off with a vocabulary game.

We ticked off one of our bucket list activities! We used our maths knowledge to collect three different length sticks. A long stick, a medium stick and a short stick. We started with our short sticks and began to build a bonfire. We talked about Bonfire night and how and why it is celebrated by some people. We shared what we had done to celebrate bonfire night.
We looked at the design of the buildings and recreated them using the natural materials we could find outside.
We have been reading the story 'The Colour Monster'. He sent us a letter telling us about his favourite food, Monster stew. We read the recipe together then headed outside to make the stew. We followed the recipe and found the items around the school playgrund and in forest school and counted them into our tubs. We mixed it all up and left the stew for the monster to enjoy. We hope he likes it !
We re-created the famous Mayan calendar in answering our enquiry question.
We had great fun practising our skills in symmetry.
We met a leaf creature who told us he had some very unhappy leaf friends. We worked in groups to make a home for his friends. We also thought about what his friends might need and made it out of natural materials. We noticed how it was much better if we worked together so that we could get more done in the time.
We measured different items we found outside.
Year 2 went on a Maths Treasure Hunt. They had to work out the answers on the sheet to find the corresponding letter on the cards that were positioned around the playground and field. We had great fun!
We created keys using natural objects.

Learning Outdoors

Approaches at Whitnash

View Document

To link with Year 4's Europe topic and their work looking at famous landmarks, the children took part in an outdoor enrichment day where they created a fantastic willow sculpture of local landmark 'Chesterton Windmill'.


As part of this day they researched and found out all about the windmill and created a sway presentation about it. They also did a still life sketch of the windmill. The children were supported by Chaz from Wayside Willow to create their willow sculpture and learnt news skills of willow weaving. 

Page last updated 220224

Share by: