Putting Nature at the Heart of our School

At Marshlands Primary School we believe in giving our children a balanced education; focusing on their health and wellbeing and concern for the environment, as well as their academic learning. Initially funded and developed as part of the Nature Friendly School project, Marshlands decided to continue with outdoor learning provision, even when the funding stopped.

As part of our provision, all children from year 1 to year 6 spend a full morning outdoors, at regular intervals, throughout the academic year. The lessons are delivered in-house within our outdoor learning area, which is part of the school grounds. The activities fuel creativity and a sense of adventure, allowing our children to experience the joy that nature can bring. The children, are outside in all seasons and all weathers, increasing their resilience and connection with the natural world.

We have created a unique curriculum tailored to the needs and interests of our children. We teach them about the wildlife on their doorsteps, the tree species within the school grounds. We provide them with life skills so that they can tie and range of knots and use a craft knife safely. We discuss why tree planting and preservation is just as important in our country as it is in the rainforests of Brazil.

Skills are developed upon as the children progress through school. For example; every lesson starts with a recap of how to stay safe around a campfire and the children in year one toast a marshmallow on a skewer on their second morning outdoors. This progresses to toasting crumpets, baking cheese and cooking pancakes until they get to year 5 when they learn how to light their own fire using a flint and steel and then in year 6 when they prepare and cook an entire meal in a Dutch oven.

Outdoor learning is also having a positive effect on our school grounds; they are being made greener as a result. We’ve planted two bio-diverse hedgerows, a total of 800 trees! Our allotment area is being more regularly used, we’ve sown a wildflower meadow, planted a flower bed of native species and there’s better management of the school pond. In the future we hope possibly create an orchard and a mud kitchen.

The Nature Friendly School Project was a ground-breaking programme funded by the Department for Education and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) with support from Natural England.