Make the Most of Your Outside Space

Increasingly, educators are perceiving that a school’s grounds are potentially as important to the education and overall well-being of our children as are its buildings. Appropriate use of the outdoor space can have a dramatic impact on physical health, concentration levels, standards of behaviour and learning capacity, yet they are often under-utilised.

When imaginatively developed, a school’s outside space can become a vital educational resource, contributing to both superior curriculum teaching and a better recreational and social experience for pupils and the wider community.

Furthermore, well designed school grounds will encourage children to take part in a wide range of physical activity as well as enhancing their understanding of nature, the environment and how to love and care for it.

The Government initiative “Every Child Matters” was developed to ensure that every child has the opportunity to develop their potential. It identified five core outcomes that are crucial to a young person’s development: to be healthy; to be safe; to enjoy and achieve; to make a positive contribution and to achieve economic well-being. Your school grounds can play a vital role in delivering all of these outcomes. Judicious use will allow children of all abilities to improve their behaviour and health, enjoy a raised sense of self-esteem and boost their potential to achieve. It will also promote development of non-curricular, yet life-enhancing, skills such as risk assessment and team working.

Children find lessons outdoors more relaxed, interesting and easier to understand. They feel that their teachers are more relaxed and approachable and the staff themselves report that the school grounds provide access to resources not available in the classroom and an opportunity to use different teaching styles.

A school’s outside space is a dynamic environment, with needs and opportunities that shift with the seasons and the passage of time. An outdoor classroom, or even a simple shelter or canopy, can dramatically improve access to outdoor learning opportunities throughout the year. The needs of all stakeholders using the grounds (pupils, staff and the local community) should be fundamental to any design initiative. The Learning Escape prides itself on its track record of providing bespoke, outdoor classrooms that are tailored to each school’s unique set of needs. We can help you make the most of your outdoor space, to let you get on with the task of maximising your pupils’ potential and enhancing the community you serve.

Take a look at just one of many of testimonials from our happy customers:

Pooles Park Primary School