Outdoor Education is a crucial part of our curriculum in the Junior Section and provides our pupils with key skills and the chance for them to build on existing skills like teamwork, communication, and also thinking outside the box and risk-taking—challenging them to take part in activities they might not otherwise do in their everyday lives.

This week, Year 4 headed over to Forest School where they took part in a team challenge and had to use only parts of the forest to create a freestanding tower using twigs and sticks that had fallen from the trees. They were split into three teams and had to find the right-sized sticks and also engineer a way for them to stand up without using trees or walls as props. This exercise promotes the continued development of their communication skills as they have to work closely with each other and also allows pupils to lead by example, whether this is supporting their fellow team members or leading the team from the front. These are all great skills that are transferable to the classroom.

Another team was responsible for creating a safe campfire and boiling some water using a Kelly kettle. With Mr. Tiffany’s help and guidance, the team were taught about how to safely use a Flint and Steel and also how to correctly source fuel to keep the fire going. They hunted around Forest School for dry twigs, bark, and leaves and also had some cotton balls to help ignite the fire. Once they had become confident using the Flint and Steel and had managed to light the fire, the Kelly Kettle was placed on top to allow the water to boil.

Throughout their time in the Junior section, pupils will take part in a range of activities in our Forest School and continue to learn those crucial personal management skills and also develop more of an understanding of nature and the outdoors.