OLA-Heather Ridge Infant School-GU15 1AY-27/Feb/2025

Children’s voices have informed the development of outdoor spaces. As well as developing their own mission statement for outdoor learning, changes in response to their feedback include the addition of planters and fencing to make them feel safer. Improvements in equipment (including trollies with pens, wipe boards etc to facilitate transitions to the outside), along with regular discussions, have significantly increased staff’s confidence and enjoyment in the sessions. Sharing information with parents via Tapestry and other means – as well as involving them in improving the site – has increased their understanding of and enthusiasm for outdoor learning.

Children now have a timetabled day outdoors every half term and staff regularly take children outside as part of a lesson or to support self-regulation. A covered log circle means that things like story time can take place out of doors at any time. As noted above, staff’s increased confidence has resulted in more spontaneous outdoor working as they actively identify aspects of lessons that can benefit from this approach and are more aware of the positive impact it has on children’s learning and engagement.

All staff are first aid trained and safety talks are part of all formal outdoor learning sessions. Staff have noted that, by year 1, children can tell them the rules they need to follow in order to keep themselves safe. The outdoor learning lead works closely with groups of children to identify areas of concern and, as noted above, the school subsequently fundraised to build a fence so that the outdoor learning area cannot be seen from outside and feels more secure. This, along with the regular ‘safety talks, has resulted in all children now saying they feel safe outside. The school has also undertaken risk assessments which have resulted in developments such as improving the pool cover.

The outdoor learning lead has attended training delivered by Surrey Outdoor Learning Development who have also led sessions in school with all staff. Feedback shows that, as a result of this and the improved resources available (see above), staff are both more confident to teach out of doors and enjoy it more.