Shaftesbury High School

Intent:

At Shaftesbury High School, we believe it is vital that we create a broad and balanced curriculum. This includes ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to experience the world first hand and have the chance to see and take part in activities outside the classroom. Our local area provides rich opportunities to stimulate learning and promote health and well-being amongst our pupils. We also believe that a well-planned and facilitated learning experience away from the school gives children the opportunity to explore their learning in a way that is difficult to reproduce indoors. The outdoors experience can provide a scaffold through which resilience, independence and teamwork are fostered and one where creativity, curiosity and imagination is encouraged and valued. The outdoors also provides some quiet time where pupils and adults can build positive, trusted relationships through interactions together both physically during challenges and through having conversations in a non-pressure environment.

We aim to enable all of our students to receive a wide range of opportunities to develop socially and emotionally in a safe environment outside the classroom regardless of race, culture or disability. We believe that the outdoor experience can help to develop:

• Resilience, Independence, Teamwork, Creativity, Curiosity, Imagination

The KS3 Outdoor Education curriculum offers a pathway for our KS3 pupils to develop the skills, relationships and confidence to transition onto the DofE Bronze Award in KS4.                                                                                                                       

Implementation:

Our outdoor education curriculum for Key stage 3 is mapped out to include a set of activities for our pupils to experience while they are at Shaftesbury High School. Each activity includes differing challenges that encourage problem solving, teamwork and risk management. Activities vary dependent on need and are planned accordingly throughout the academic year.

We incorporate activities such as bouldering and archery to develop students' problem-solving skills and teamwork. These activities require students to work together, communicate effectively, and support each other to achieve common goals. Students are also taught to assess and manage risks in a controlled environment, helping them build confidence and resilience.

Our curriculum is designed with a trauma-informed approach, recognizing the impact of trauma on students' learning and behaviour. Staff are trained to create a safe and supportive environment where students feel understood and valued. We also use the PACE approach (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) to foster a positive learning environment. This includes encouraging a fun and engaging atmosphere, creating an environment of acceptance and respect, fostering curiosity and a love for learning, and promoting empathy.

Our staff build relationships and engage and motivate pupils by supporting and role modelling teamwork, communication, and positive behaviour. The non-threatening environment of the outdoors provides an ideal setting for encouraging open communication regarding mental health and wellbeing.

By integrating these approaches and activities, we aim to create a holistic outdoor education experience that supports the physical, emotional, and social development of our students.

Impact: 

Students at Shaftesbury High School will become more well-rounded and prepared learners and individuals. They will not only be more confident and resilient learners, but they will also become more caring and supportive peers due to the curriculum's PACE approach. This will enable students to better regulate their social, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, allowing them to perform better in collaborative learning and tasks. They will be armed with the skills necessary to improve themselves in their schooling career and life in the wider world.

As students grow in confidence in their abilities in the outdoor environment, they will begin to understand, assess, and manage their own risk and safety. This will allow them to become more independent and show them that life comes with not only risks but also rewards. It will also teach them their own limits and that they can push through them. They will see that sometimes we don’t always get the desired result the first time, but that doesn’t make us failures; it helps us to grow, forcing us to try again in a different way. It encourages problem-solving, logical thinking, self-reflection, and evaluation. Most importantly, students will see that mistakes aren’t failures; they are a part of learning and that they are, ultimately, human