A conference on Raising Standards and Improving Lives Outside the Classroom will take place at The Haycock Hotel in Cambridgeshire on Friday 29th January.
Focusing on Primary education, the event has been organised by Cambridge Environmental Education Service (CEES) to provide inspiration for any practitioners interested in the provision of outdoor education in Primary pupils.
A mix of presentations and practical workshops designed to support subjects across the curriculum and inspire creative approaches to learning will take place across the course of the day.
Rosie Edwards, Head of CEES commented, “We look forward to an exciting day enabling delegates to explore ideas for ensuring that LOtC is a key part of the curriculum, providing children with enriching experiences which improve achievement, support personal development and raise aspirations. Workshops looking at how staff can use the natural world to develop outdoor trails using ipads and engage children in Mathematics and English outdoors are proving very popular”.
Presentations
Speakers will include Elaine Skates from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and Ben Wilding, head teacher at Werrington Primary and local leader of education.
Ben will be talking about how his school curriculum is enriched by the practice of learning outside the classroom (LOtC), both onsite and further afield.
Jill Foster, environmental education coordinator for Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) will also deliver a talk.
PECT has an impressive track record in supporting schools with a wide range of projects using the environment to inspire learning. Jill leads the team that delivers projects ranging from Eco Framework to Food for Life.
Workshops
Eleven workshops will take place across the course of the day and delegates can choose to attend two. These focus on subjects from English, Science and Maths to History and Art and Design.
Examples of workshops include Maths outdoors: A pocketful of puzzles at Key Stage 1 and 2 and English outdoors: From the Gruffalo to Kensuke’s Kingdom.
The former will be led by CEES teachers Helen Johnston and Caroline Worth and will focus on how teachers can use the natural world to excite and engage children in Mathematics. The workshop will share practical ideas to inspire teachers to apply mathematical knowledge, understanding and skills outside the classroom.
The latter, meanwhile, will be led by CEES teachers Nicky Ayscough and Becky Aston. This workshop will demonstrate how you can take age appropriate stories and texts into the school grounds to inspire children to engage with fiction and non-fiction writing.
For more information about the conference visit www.cees.org.uk.
