Using the school grounds to ‘WoW’
James Lehman, teacher at NeneGate School, talks about how they have been using their school grounds for learning.
NeneGate School is one of three special schools within the Meridian Trust, offering an education for students aged between 9 and 16 years with social emotional and mental health difficulties.
NeneGate is the newest special school to join the Trust and provides a rich variety of learning outside the classroom (LOtC) and especially within its school grounds.
NeneGate school starts every learning module with a ‘WoW’ activity and many of these involve trips and visits to such places as recycling centres, museums and local places of natural beauty. Equally however, there is a focus on using the school grounds to ensure that students close the experiential gap not only associated with those who experience SEMH challenges, but also who are in receipt of Pupil Premium funding.
The deprivation indicator for students who attend NeneGate school is well above the national average and 77% of students are in receipt of the Pupil Premium. The staff at NeneGate, therefore, choose activities for the ‘WoW’ starter as those that may not only teach skills but that also close the experiences gap.
Students are seen learning to ‘Cast a Fishing Rod’ with a weight – not hook – at the end of the line. This encourages students to judge distance, hit targets and helps hand/eye co-ordination. The school has a fleet of mountain bikes and proficiency in cycling is measured on its school grounds before students are allowed on the local roads. Again, this helps students understand rules, road signs and, perhaps most importantly, ensures a personalised risk assessment is carried out within the school grounds by qualified staff. Mending punctures, servicing bikes and replacing chains all helps co-ordination, builds skills and knowledge and all ‘mechanics’ are carried out in the school grounds.
Orienteering, in groups and pairs, around the school using maps and clues, helps with direction finding, social skills and oracy. It is also part of a progression activity which sees these skills developed more in the local area where students have to plan a route to a local FE provider.
Forest school activities are a given at NeneGate and horticultural activities, set up in association with the RHS, is built into the curriculum and is different and unique. The curriculum for every child at KS3 includes gardening, clearing, harvesting and preparing seedings, shoots and plants helping to ensure students gain a sense of wonder, have a memorable experience and deliver a product.
What are the next steps and goals for your school’s LOtC and impact on the staff and students?
Using the school grounds at NeneGate is not only popular but is part of the educational culture recorded through pictures and videos, stored in the child’s learning file, and recorded for assessment and enjoyment. It provides parents and the school with not only a record of achievements but a lasting memory of experiences that develop the skills and knowledge to meet the ever-increasing challenging world for SEMH students. However, many of the activities evidenced here could be replicated in all schools.
